


Shades of Blue

by broken_boiz_in_love



Category: Jurassic Park - All Media Types, Jurassic World - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 04:58:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_boiz_in_love/pseuds/broken_boiz_in_love
Summary: Set two years after the disastrous turn of events that led to the dinosaurs roaming freely throughout North America. Owen and Claire are finally married and living a quiet, happy life with their adopted daughter, Maisie. When Maisie starts disappearing everyday, her parents know something is up. A connection to her disappearances and a certain raptor begins to form. . .





	1. Chapter 1

Claire tipped her head back, letting the water spill down her face. Engulfed in steam, she took a deep breath through her nose. Owen would be home soon. He would want to take a shower and would probably be pissed if there was no hot water left. Grudgingly, Claire squeezed the last suds out of her hair and shut off the water. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. The bathroom was steamy and warm. Claire dried herself quickly before she got cold. She put on undergarments and soft cotton shirt. Then she paused to look in the mirror. On the side of her thigh was a white scar. It was an inch long and eighth-of-an-inch deep. Claire vividly remembered the Indoraptor digging its claw into her leg. She shivered. It was over. The Indoraptror was dead. She pulled on her pants and left the bathroom.

Coming directly out of the bathroom was the main room. Half of it was a kitchenette, the other half a living room with a couch and tv. To the left was the guest bedroom which was also storage, as it was barely ever in use. To the right was Claire and Owen's bedroom which also had a bathroom (but no shower). Above the left half of the main room was the loft, where Maisie slept. There were two windows on the front of the house, one on each of the two sides. The back was completely private.

"Hello?'' The front door opened. Owen walked in. He dumped his knapsack on the couch.

"Hey, big guy.'' Claire wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hey, hottie.'' He kissed her head. "Your hair's wet. Did you use up all the hot water again?''

"No,'' said Claire, "I made sure I got out in time. I'm considerate, remember?''

"Mm. Your hair smells good.''

"Thanks.'' Claire rolled her eyes.

Owen went over to the refrigerator and started sifting through its contents. "Do we have any pizza left? I was thinking we could reheat it for dinner or something. Ah, here it is.'' He dumped the cold slices onto a plate and shoved it into the microwave. "How long do I put it in? You think thirty seconds would be enough?''

Claire rolled her eyes again. "No, Owen. At least three minutes.''

"'Kay.'' He pushed the 30 second button six times.

They stood in silence for a while. The only noise was the hum of the microwave.

"You know, you could have just pushed the three button,'' said Claire finally.

"Whoops.''

Claire smiled in spite of herself. She put an arm around his waist. Owen was a dinosaur exorcist. He was paid to guard parties, weddings, funerals. Two years ago, when the dinosaurs were first released into the wild, they had crashed countless festivities. The government finally hired retired/off-duty marines, soldiers, and navy officers to guard the events and protect the participants. Owen had immediately applied. He was immediately excepted because of his background in the navy and personal experience with the dinosaurs. It was a good job, paying well, and relatively safe as the dinos got the general idea and stopped showing up after awhile. Despite all this, Owen had limited knowledge of kitchen appliances. Claire found this tremendously amusing.

"Where's Maisie at?'' Owen asked.

"She's in the loft. I'll call her. Maisie! It's time for dinner! Please come down, sweetie!"

Several moments passed before the couple heard Maisie's footsteps on the ladder. Claire smiled fondly at her. Right after they signed their marriage papers, Claire and Owen signed Maisie's adoption papers. It was strange, Claire thought, to be married less than two years and have a twelve-year-old daughter. But although it was strange, they wouldn't have it any other way. Claire and Owen loved Maisie very much and she felt safe with them. And since Maisie was a clone she had never had parents in the first place. So it seemed only right she come live with them, in a the comfortable cabin Owen had built in a secluded forest in California.

"Hey, Maisie.'' Owen tugged her braid affectionately. "What were you doin' up there?''

Maisie smiled and snatched her hair away from him. "Drawing.''

"What were you drawing?" Claire asked as she took the pizza out of the refrigerator.

"Dinosaurs.''

Claire and Owen exchanged a surprised look. Maisie had used to love dinosaurs, but after the incident at Lockwood Manor she had shied away. Now she was drawing them?

"Really? What kind of dinosaurs?'' Owen asked casually.

Maisie bit into a slice of pizza. "Raptors.''

Owen sucked in his breath. When Jurassic World first opened he had trained four velociraptors: Blue, Delta, Charlie, and Echo. Five years later, there was only one raptor left. Blue, the alpha, beta, and Owen's favorite. She wasn't just his favorite; they had an understanding. He hadn't seen her for two years. She was still out there—there were numerous reports of her preying on livestock and, occasionally, people. But Blue seemed to have dropped off the radar. No one had heard or seen her for months. Claire knew Owen still had hope she was alive. She also knew Owen felt guilty for hoping. The world would be better off without a velociraptor.

They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. Maisie was the first to get up and take her plate to the sink. She headed for the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?''

"Outside. Into the forest.''

"Hm.'' Claire didn't like Maisie going into the forest surrounding the cabin. The only dinosaurs they ever saw were the occasional herbivore. Still, Claire worried. There could be carnivores. Probably not. But Claire didn't want to take any chances.

"I'll stay close, I promise.''

Claire turned to Owen. He still seemed a bit shaken from Maisie's comment, but he nodded. "She'll be fine, Claire.''

"Alright. Be careful.''

Maisie grinned. "Thanks, Claire.''

She pulled on her combat boots and hurried out.

Whenever Maisie directly addressed her parents it was always "Claire" and "Owen". It didn't seem to bother Owen, but Claire wished their daughter would call them "Mom" and "Dad".

"Do you think she's still out there?''

"Maisie?'' Claire asked, distracted. "She just left, hon.''

"No.'' Owen was quiet. "Blue.''

"Ah.'' Claire did not know what to say to make him feel better. Did she, Claire Grady, believe Blue was alive? Yes. "Yes.''

Her husband lifted his gaze. "Really?''

"If I wasn't certain I wouldn't have said anything,'' she told him.

Owen smiled sadly. "I miss her.''

"I know,'' Claire whispered.

"Stupid pet.''

Claire leaned over and kissed him. "I love you.''

"I love you too.''

''Now,'' he got up and stretched. "I'm going to go take that warm shower.''


	2. Chapter 2

"Maisie! Maisie, where are you? Maisie?''

Claire frowned. She had been looking for her daughter far too long. Where had she gone off to now? She must have been in the forest, Claire decided. She must have been there all morning. . . Claire twisted a lock of her red hair between her fingers. She was worried about Maisie. Last night she had been outside for hours. When she finally came back it was dark and she headed straight to her loft without a word. Claire had gone up to check on her, but the girl insisted she was fine. So Claire had let her be. But first thing that morning Maisie had headed into the forest, and had yet to return. It was almost noon now. Claire was worried. What on earth could a twelve year-old girl be doing in a forest for hours?

Just then, the front door creaked open. Maisie hurried in. She was covered in mud and bore several scratchers on her chin and cheeks. Without even acknowledging her mother, she scrambled up the loft ladder and disappeared. Claire sighed. Here we go again. She climbed up the ladder after her daughter.

The loft was fairly small, but cozy. Its main source of light was a large window on the ceiling. Maisie had her twin bed, desk, and beside table all lined up so they were touching. Crumbled papers, granola bar wrappers, and pencils littered the floor. The walls were lined with Maisie's drawings. Despite the mess, Claire flushed with pride. Maisie had quite the artistic skill. In fact, the vivid sketches of velociraptors put Claire on edge. They were almost too real. It brought back bad memories.

Maisie didn't look up when Claire sat down on her unmade bed. She was lying on her stomach with earbuds in and a headlamp illuminating her present work of art. Clear watched her in silence for a minute. Maisie's drawing began to take form. Claire gently pulled her earbuds out. Maisie glanced at her.

"Is that a baby raptor?'' Claire asked quietly.

Maisie slid the sketch off the bed. It drifted the the floor. "No.''

Claire pulled Maisie's long brown hair back and began braiding it. "What've you been doing in the forest?''

Maisie took a long while to answer. "I found a new spot. I, uh, I am building a fort. Like, a tree-fort, but on the ground. With branches and sticks and leaves and. . .things.''

Claire nodded silently. Maisie stared at her dirty fingernails.

"Baby,'' Claire finally said, "I love you. And I want what's best for you. If there is something that you're not telling me—''

"There's not!''

"—I want to know about it. Do you understand me?''

"Yes, ma'am.''

"'Yes, ma'am'?'' Claire repeated trying to keep the disappointment our of her voice.

"Yes, Claire.''

Claire sighed. She wanted to be called "Mom". But she would have to wait. Just a little longer.

She kissed Maisie's forehead. "As soon as your finished up here, take a shower. You're a mess! So is your room. Clean it.'' Claire batted her playfully.

"Okay,'' Maisie laughed.

"I love you,'' Claire told her as she started down the ladder again.

"I love you too,'' Maisie called back.

That was enough to satisfy Claire. She didn't believe Maisie was telling the truth. But how bad could it be? What kind of trouble could a little girl get into? It wasn't anything to worry about. At least she was happy and entertained. And they loved each other. Owen, Claire, Maisie. They were a family. Maisie was not ready to call her parents by "Mom" and "Dad" yet, but she would be eventually. Everything was fine. They were a happy family.

Claire suddenly heard the Pokemon theme playing. She rolled her eyes. Owen changed her ringtone again. He periodically changed it. The first time he did it as a prank and had fallen off the couch laughing as Claire tried to figure out where the Power Rangers music was coming from.

Claire crossed to the kitchen and checked her lockscreen to see who was calling. Karen. Oh God. She was not part of a happy family. She had divorced her husband Scott five years ago. Claire hadn't talked to her much since the Jurassic World incident. But she had kept in touch with her nephews Zach and Gray. Claire listened to the Pokemon theme playing. She didn't want to talk to her sister. But Karen would only have called if it was important. Maybe it was about the boys. . .

"Hello?''

"Claire? Hey, sis. How are you? God, it's been so long—"

"Yep. I'm good. We're all good at the Grady residence, thanks for asking. And, yes, it's been quite some time, hasn't it?" Claire hadn't meant for it to sound so sharp, but she couldn't help it.

"Yes, well, I was wondering if you and Owen could do me a favor? It's kind of last minute, but I would really appreciate it. . .''

Oh God.

Owen felt Claire snuggle closer to him. Her warm breath made his bare chest tingle. He gently stroked her hair. This was his favorite part of the day. Night, when the world was dark and it was just him and Claire and their bed. Owen loved every moment with Maisie, of course, but this was different. This was magic.

"I missed you today,'' Claire murmured.

"I missed you too.'' Owen wished he could put his thoughts into words better. Claire was always saying the right thing at the right time. Owen felt like he couldn't show his affection for her verbally. He was more of a physical person. So every night he held her close and stroked her hair. He knew she understood.

"Maisie was gone again today.''

"So what?'' Owen thought it was a good thing the young girl spent so much time outdoors. She would learn how to survive. Which was important these days.

Claire shifted positions. "She was gone for hours, Owen. Hours. What on earth could she be doing?''

"Did you not ask her?''

"Of course I asked her. She said she was building a fort.''

"Excellent. That's exactly what she should be doing,'' said Owen.

"But I don't think that's what she's actually doing.''

"Claire.'' Owen propped himself up on an elbow. "Has Maisie ever lied before?''

"I don't think so,'' Claire admitted.

"Then why do you doubt her?''

Claire closed her eyes. "I don't know. I can't explain it. I just feel like there's something she is not telling us.''

"Mother's instincts?'' Owen teased.

"I'm not her real mother.''

"Yes, you are.'' Owen grew serious. "Maisie is a clone, remember? She never had a mother. You are the first and only mother she's ever had. And you're doing a great job, Claire.''

"But she's never called me 'mom','' Claire whispered.

"She's never called me 'dad'. Look, babe, it'll be okay. Maisie's just in a phase. She'll grow out of it. Don't worry so much.'' Owen wished he could do more than just reassure Claire. He loved her so much and wanted her to be as carefree as an adult could be when there were dinosaurs running loose around the country.

She relaxed against him. Owen settled in, ready for a good night's sleep.

"Oh!'' Claire's eyes popped open. "I forgot to tell you something!''

"What did you forget to tell me?'' Owen sighed.

"Zach and Gray are coming to stay with us for the next couple weeks.''

"Really?'' Owen was surprised. He hadn't seen them since the wedding, although he knew Claire kept in touch. "Why?''

"Apparently Karen and her boyfriend are going to Europe for three weeks,'' she told him.

Owen rolled his eyes. Of course Karen was going to Europe with her boyfriend. Lots of drama. Juicy gossip. Give me a break. "Can Scott not take care of them?''

Claire shook her head. "Karen didn't give a reason. I didn't ask.''

"I really don't wanna know.''

Clare laughed softly. "Neither do I. But she sounded desperate. She has made some bad decisions, but she's my sister and I love her. I couldn't say no. Besides, I love Zach and Gray. It'll be nice to have them around. Maisie barely knows them.''

"They're good kids,'' Owen agreed. "It's shame the same cannot be said about their parents. When are they coming?''

"Tomorrow.''

"Tomorrow? When?''

"Sometime in the evening. I told you Karen was desperate.''

"Okay.'' Owen yawned. He was done talking for one night. "I'm going to bed now.''

Claire kissed him. "I love you.''

"I love you too.'' Owen settled in (again) and fell asleep as soon as his eyes closed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon, Owen caught Maisie as she snuck out.

"Your cousins are coming tonight to live with us for a couple weeks,'' he told her. "I expect you to be polite and talk to them.''

She huffed impatiently. "What's that supposed to mean?''

"You know, polite. Well-mannered, courteous, diplomatic—''

Maisie snorted. "Did you just say 'diplomatic'? And I know what polite means. I'm very polite! I meant why do I have to talk to them?''

"They're family! They are probably really excited to see you. You barely know each other.''

"Adopted family.''

Owen sighed. He ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, fine. Adopted family. Look. Your mom is really hoping you three hit it off. She loves her nephews and she loves you. She would really appreciate it if you at least made an effort to be friends with them. I would appreciate it too, okay? Can you do this for Mom and Dad?''

"Okay.'' Maisie nodded. She smiled briefly and dashed out the door.

"What was that about?'' Claire asked. Her red hair was tied up in a tight ponytail, her face flushed from housework. All morning she had been preparing the guest-room for the boys. There was not much to do; mostly moving around boxes to make more floor space. Owen could see the excitement shining in Claire's beautiful pale-green eyes.

"I was just explaining things to Maisie?''

"Is she excited?'' Claire asked hopefully.

"You bet.'' Owen couldn't squash her sunny mood.

"We haven't seen them in so long. It's been since the wedding, hasn't it? And even then I didn't get to talk to them as much as I would have liked to.''

Owen silently agreed. It had been—what—five years since Jurassic World? He had seen Zach and Gray at the wedding, but, like Claire, hadn't really spoken with them. Owen assumed they had changed a lot. Zach was an adolescent and Gray was still a little boy last time 'round. Now Zach would almost be an adult, almost twenty. Gray would be almost fifteen. Crazy. Something told Owen they were still good kids. As usual, he was right.

JWJWJWJWJWJWJWJWJWJW

The Mitchell brothers arrived a quarter-past six. Claire hugged and kissed them both. After welcoming and telling them where they could put down their bags, she seemed to analysis a double-take. She frowned slightly.

"Where's Karen?''

Gray shrugged. "On an airplane.''

Owen glanced outside the window. A small, beat-up, Malibu sat in their driveway. "Zach drove you?''

They nodded.

Owen was furious. Karen left her two sons with her little sister for three weeks. And she didn't even go to the trouble of dropping them off! Owen doubted she even said goodbye. Off with the boyfriend to Europe she went. Claire did a better job of hiding her distaste.

"Well, why don't you come sit down on the couch? We need to do some catching up. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.'' She glanced at her husband. Say hello.

"So, uh, how're you guys doing?''

"Pretty good, thanks,'' Zach said, smiling.

Owen found himself pulling both boys into a hug. Seeing them right in front of him brought back memories. A flood of memories. But they weren't bad memories. Some of them were good. Well, as good as being chased by giant dinosaur could be.

Once they were all seated, Owen examined each boy carefully.

Gray had definitely grown. He was almost as tall as his brother now. His face had thinned out and his hair had been close-cropped giving him an older appearance. But he still had the curious, excited blue eyes of his youth. He was still the little boy Owen had pulled from the Park wreckage.

Zach had changed even more than Gray. But in a different way. He looked older, yes, but Owen noticed he was paler and thinner. His eyes were dark and his face gaunt. He looked exhausted, like he was recovering from a long illness. Owen glanced at Claire. He could tell she had come to the same conclusion. Something was off.

But Zach still smiled. He still put on a brave face. Owen knew it was for Gray. After their parents had divorced, shit had gone down. Zach was trying to be the best parent he could be to his little brother. Owen did not know the details of what went on behind the closed doors of the Mitchells, but he suddenly wished he and Claire had done something. What could they have done?

The front door slammed. Maisie ran in, her face flushed. She caught her breath when she saw the boys.

"Come say hello to your cousins,'' Claire said.

Maisie gave a shy smile. "Hello.''

Zach smiled. "Hey. It's Maisie, right? I'm Zach.''

She waved awkwardly and picked a twig out of her hair.

"I'm Gray.'' Gray got awkward too.

Maisie backed towards the ladder to her loft. She scrambled up it before her parents could stop her. Claire pursed her lips. Owen sighed. They needed to work on her social skills. But she was hardly ever around people.

"She's hot,'' Gray muttered to his brother.

Owen bristled.

"She's our cousin,'' Zach reminded him.

"Not biologically. And she's British.''

"What does that have to do with anything?''

"I dunno.'' Gray went back to being awkward.

"I, uh, think she forgot you guys were coming,'' laughed Claire apologetically.

"She's fine,'' Zach reassured her.

"Yeah, fine,'' Gray echoed.

Owen was still perturbed his little girl had been referred to as "hot". She was super cute. But she was a little girl. Only twelve! "Hot" was too grown-up.

By the time Maisie had cleaned herself up and come back downstairs, dinner was being served. Everyone ate in silence for a bit. Claire was obviously dying to know more about Zach and Gray's lives.

"So,'' said she, "how is school going?''

"Pretty good,'' Gray said. "I'm going to be a sophomore in the Fall.''

"What school do you go to?'' Owen wanted to know.

"Just the local public school.''

Claire nodded. "What about you, Zach? You're in college, right?''

"I'm going to be a junior. I attend mostly night classes at a community college,'' Zach explained. "I work full-time.''

"Why?'' Owen asked before he could stop himself.

Zach shrugged. "I want to get an apartment next Fall. For me and Gray. I don't think either of us can stand another year living with our mom.''

Claire's lips tightened. Maisie stared at her hands under the table. Owen traced a scratch on the table. He knew their parents loved Zach and Gray, but that didn't make them good parents. Owen wondered what exactly had happened to tear the family apart. He wanted to make a not of it so he never made the mistake. Most of the time divorcees claimed they had "married the wrong person". Owen did not have to worry about that; every instinct told him Claire was his soulmate. Whatever the circumstances, he would always stand beside her.

Zach cleared his throat. "I'm going to go to bed. I need to find a temporary job somewhere tomorrow morning.''

Claire showed him to the guest room. When she came and sat back down at the table everyone was quiet. Owen didn't miss the look of concern on Gray's face. He didn't want to pry, but he had to know. He suddenly felt a great sense of responsibility toward the boys. "Gray, what is wrong with Zach?''

Gray shrugged. "He's fine, really. . . He just never fully recovered. . .''

Owen had a terrible feeling: guilt. He could easily tell Claire was experiencing the same feeling. He had feared this. Gray had been younger. His brain was less developed and he could easily bounce back out of shock, ready for the next adventure life held. Zach however had been at a very susceptible age. . .

"I knew we should have done more,'' Claire murmured sadly.

"You did all you could.''

Claire shook her head. "I should have stayed with you two from the beginning. I could have sheltered you, hid you from the monsters—"

Gray gave her a funny expression. "What?''

"Jurassic World—''

Gray gave her a cocky smile. "Jurassic World? Nah, that was one of the best things that ever happened to us. It really brought Zach and I close together. No, I was talking about our parents' divorce. Zach hasn't forgiven them. He doesn't really have a reason too. He remembers more than I do. Too many nights he lay awake listening to them scream at each other,'' Gray suddenly stopped, flushing slightly. He had obviously not meant to go into the details. "Anyway, I better get to bed too. Goodnight. Thank you for letting us come stay with you.''

"Don't mention it,'' Claire said faintly.

They watched him close the guest-room door behind him. Maisie excused herself and fled to her loft. Owen and Claire sat in silence. Claire dropped her head in her hands.

"Ohhhhh God.''

"Babe—''

"We should have done something, Owen. I knew things were getting shaky with my sister. Why, oh why, did we not do anything?''

"We didn't know?'' Owen offered.

"But I knew,'' Claire moaned. "I knew something was wrong. And yet I did nothing.''

"It's not so bad,'' said Owen, comfortingly stroking her hand. "They haven't been abused. They're not harmed—''

"Not harmed!'' Claire said shrilly. "Have you seen Zach? He looks like he is legitimately dying. God, Owen. . . Maybe they aren't bruised and bleeding, but they have been harmed by their parents. And I don't mean physically.''  
JWJWJWJWJWJWJWJWJWJWJ

It took Owen a long time to fall asleep that night. Thoughts were tumbling around his brain. He knew Claire was right. They should have—could have—done something a long time ago. Hell, Owen should have taken more time catching up with them at his wedding! But nothing had been done. So what, Owen thought. We're doing something now. The last couple years have been crazy. It was true. They were indeed taking action now. Something told Owen he and Claire were not going to just send the Mitchell boys back to their parents. And the last couple years were the craziest in Owen's life (which was really saying something, he having been in the Navy and all). There was the ordeal at Lockwood Manor, then the wedding, then adopting Maisie, and the job. . . Owen honestly hadn't had time for his new nephews. But now he did. It was a priority. Resolved, he rolled over and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Zach left early to look for a job. Claire tried to convince him it wasn't necessary, but Owen quietly took her aside and explained that Zach needed something to keep him busy. Claire agreed somewhat hesitantly. Owen knew she wanted to keep a close eye on the boys. But he also understood Zach's point of view. A job would make him feel like he was being useful. That was important, Owen told Claire. Zach ended up finding a job at the local gas station. He worked fairly long hours; from 8:00 AM to 4:00.

Owen could not help feeling a small amount of pity for Gray. While both Owen and Zach worked, he was left home with the girls. Claire was very kind to him and Maisie was polite, but he was slightly bored. Several times over the first week he tried to befriend Maisie. He appeared quite taken with her. But she would politely decline all invitations and run into the forest. She spent almost all her time in the forest now. Owen was convinced she was up to something. He did not like her being away so often. He wasn't exactly sure how to tell her to stay home though. He had no proof she was doing something wrong and he seriously doubted whatever it was was dangerous. So he let her be. But Owen did wish she would take Gray with her.

On the fourth day of the boys' visit, Gray caught Maisie as she was slipping out.

"Uh, hey Maisie,'' he said. "Can I come with you today? Please?''

Maisie bit her lip. Everyday he asked. She kept giving him the same answer. "Sorry, no. Maybe sometime. . . I'm sure Claire would appreciate your help in the kitchen though.''

Gray's face fell. "Oh. Okay. Thanks anyway.''

Owen watched from his bedroom's doorframe as Gray headed off in the opposite direction. This wasn't going to work, he thought. He had to intervene.

"Maisie! Hang on a second.''

Maisie cringed. Owen beckoned her forward. She stood in front of him, staring at her boots sheepishly. Owen sighed. "Listen, sweetie, I—We—Listen, okay? Just here me out. You need to let Gray come with you. Wherever it is your going. He's only going to be here for a couple weeks. And you did promise you would be polite—''

Maisie crossed her arms in frustration. "I am being polite! You know that! Just because I am not letting him come to my special place doesn't mean I don't like him. I'm making an effort—"

Owen raised an eyebrow.

Maisie flushed. "Well, maybe not an effort. . ."

"But Gray is making an effort. He is lonely. He really wants to be your friend. He needs you.''

Maisie bit her lip again.

Owen softened his voice. "Where is this 'special place' of yours?''

"The forest,'' Maisie answered innocently.

Owen stared at her. There was definitely something going on. Did she have someone waiting for her in there? Had she made a friend? Owen thought this was unlikely. They didn't have any neighbors for miles. Who could it be? The closest inhabited buildings to their cabin were the gas station where Zach worked and an old bar.

"What are you doing?'' He asked more severely. "Maisie, Claire and I are you parents. You have to tell us these things.''

"I know.'' The girl hung her head.

"Maisie, I swear to God, if you've found a dinosaur—''

This made her look up. "I haven't.''

"Then what are you doing? Don't say your building a fort.''

Maisie was now glaring at Owen. "That's none of your business.''

"You are my daughter, your business is my business.''

"Look. I'm happy, okay? I may not be able to tell you now. It's complicated. You wouldn't understand. But you and Claire will know eventually. I promise it isn't dangerous. You would be proud of me, I think. And I am happy.''

Owen ran his hands through his hair and over his mouth trying to comprehend what Maisie was saying and what it meant.

"I'm going,'' said Maisie quietly. She shouldered past him. He watched her go.

"I'm such a terrible dad,'' Owen said to the empty living room. He couldn't believe he had just let her tell him off and leave like that. She was a twelve year-old girl and he was an adult man. Honestly, he just didn't want to fight with her. He was afraid that if he pissed her off enough she wouldn't forgive him and never except him as her father. She had a free spirit. She wasn't used to rules. For the first ten years of her life she had been allowed to roam Lockwood Manor as she pleased. But Owen knew that he still should have made her tell him the truth. It was for her own good. If something happened to her out there it was his fault.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny. Claire opened all the windows to let some fresh air in. She was in good spirits. Owen had stayed home from work that day to work on the kitchen. Even thought his job was only remotely dangerous, she always preferred to have him safe at home where she could keep a close eye on him. Maisie had already eaten breakfast and was in her loft doing whatever it was she did up there. The Mitchell brothers were still asleep.

Claire wiped her hand on her jeans. It was mornings like this when one truly believed everything was going to be alright. It was even hard to remember the family drama and dozens of escaped dinosaurs.

The guest-room door creaked open and Gray walked out, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Claire was pleased to see he was already dressed.

"Morning, Aunt Claire,'' he said brightly, grabbing a banana from the kitchen counter.

"Good morning, Gray. You slept well?''

He nodded and took a big bite of the fruit.

"Where's Zach?" Claire asked him.

Gray swallowed and shrugged. "I tried to wake him, but he seemed really tired. I let him sleep.''

Claire frowned.

To her surprise, Gray continued. His eyes were fixed on his banana. "I'm kind of worried about Zach, to be honest. He's always tired and he's been looking rather pale. Have you noticed?''

"Yes,'' said Claire in a forced, bright voice. "I'll go check on him.''

"Okay.'' Gray shuffled awkwardly away.

Claire bit her lip. Stress and exhaustion had taken its toll on her nephew. Zach was sick, she was sure of it. He had over-exerted himself in his already fragile. She tapped lightly on the guest-room door. There was no response, but she pushed it open anyway. The boys' room was a mess. Their clothes were strewn from one end of the room to the other. Gray's pillow was on the floor. Claire stepped carefully over the mess to their bed.

Zach was curled up under a mountain of blankets. He was tangled up in a thin white sheet. Claire pulled it down so she could see his face. His hair was ruffled. His face was pale except for flushed splotches on his cheeks. He appeared sweaty, but shivering. Claire placed the back of her hand on Zach's forehead. It was hot to the touch. Zach groaned and opened his bleary eyes.

"Hi.'' Claire smiled gently.

Zach blinked several times before replying, "Hey, Aunt Claire.'' His voice was hoarse.

"How're you feeling?''

Zach shifted under his blankets. "'M okay. Really.''

Claire doubted this. "What's going on with you? Are you sick?''

"I dunno.''

"Is anything on your mind?'' Claire pressed on.

"Mm.''

"Zach, please. I only want to help you.''

Zach closed his eyes again before replying. "Mom left us. Again. She does that every time things get hard for her. Instead of explaining things to Gray and I, she finds a way to get rid of us for a couple weeks until she's sorted her problems. I don't think it's anything we've done. But she never wants to be around us anymore. She says she loved us, and maybe once she did. But I don't think it's true anymore.''

Claire stroked his tangled hair comfortingly. "What about your dad?''

"He's out of the picture.''

Claire's heart ached. She didn't know what to do, what to say. She wanted to tell Zach that him and Gray were always welcome with her and Owen. But she doubted that would make him feel any better. The fact that he was more welcome with his aunt and uncle than his parents was too much to face.

"I'm always here if you need someone to talk to,'' she told him gently.

He didn't respond, but she saw him nod slightly.

"Do you need anything?''

"No, thanks.''

Fine, then, she thought stubbornly. "I'm getting you something to drink.'' She got up and made her way to the door. She paused before leaving. She was Zach and Gray's aunt. Their mother, her sister, was failing to properly parent them. Claire realized she would have to do it herself. She would pick up the pieces Karen threw on the floor.

"Zach,'' she called softly behind her. "You're not going back to work.''

He made no objection. It may have been because he had fallen asleep. Or because he had finally surrendered himself to adult care. Like he felt, for once, like he could rest at ease without having to worry about him and his little brother's stability. The thought made Claire sick.

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Gray stared dismally into the forest. His eyes followed the branches swaying in the summer breeze. It was pretty here. He wondered how easy it was to get lost in a forest. He'd never gone exploring alone and thought it might be a good way to pass the time. Gray was not usually bored at Owen and Claire's. There was plenty to do. Once he even shadowed Owen at his dinosaur exorcism. Accompanying him was perfectly safe, as there were no dinosaurs crashing parties to begin with. Owen said it was just a precaution. But in case anything did happen, hardly anyone was brave (crazy?) enough to sign top for the job so it payed surprisingly well. So far Gray had attended three weddings, two birthday parties, and one baby shower (Gray wished he had remained home that time).

The only time Gray was ever bored was when Owen wouldn't let him come—because he was notified a party would include fireworks which attract the beasts—and when Maisie had vanished. He had finally gotten Maisie to talk to him. They talked mostly about dinosaurs. Maisie was a fantastic artist and showed Gray many of her drawings. Dinosaurs were one of the only things they both understood. They recounted their own terrifying experiences to each other. Of course, Gray had told curious friends and family all about Jurassic World, but he always knew that they could only ever appreciate not understand what he really meant. Maisie, on the other hand, knew just as well how it was to face the creatures defenseless. They had both been young and vulnerable without parental supervision. Clare and Owen had both saved them. Gray noticed Maisie didn't call her adoptive parents "mom'' and "dad". She still called them by their first names. Gray thought this was odd. He asked her about it once. She just shrugged and said she wasn't ready. It had been two years. Would she ever be ready? Gray wondered.

Gray was bored. At the moment, both Owen and Maisie were home. Which led to something else that bothered Gray. Zach was also home. But he was sick or something. Gray was worried about his older brother, as he had told Claire. He knew Zach had been older when their parents divorced therefore had endured their constant fighting longer and understood what was happening and what the initial consequences would be. Most of that had gone over Gray's head. Still though. Before Jurassic World Zach had been infatuated with practically every girl he saw and could care less about Gray. After Jurassic World Zach forgot about girls and dedicated himself to his little brother. Gray thought this extremely good of him. He wasn't sure he would have survived middle-school if it hadn't been for Zach. Come to think of it, he wouldn't have survived Jurassic World if it hadn't been for Zach. Zach had done so much for Gray. Now Gray wished there was something he could do for Zach. But he couldn't think of anything.

Frustrated, Gray kicked a loose stone. Owen had devoted the day to household renovations. Something about kitchen's electrical currency. . . Gray hadn't even seen Maisie. She had either snuck off already or was hiding in her loft. Gray bitterly thought the former to be true. But he was wrong. Only minutes later he saw the British girl disappear casually into the forest.

"Hey, man.''

Gray spun around. Owen had come up behind him. He sat down beside Gray. They sat in a comfortable silence for awhile and Gray was reminded of how safe he felt around Owen.

"Do you think you could do me a favor?'' Said Owen.

"Oh, sure!'' Gray responded enthusiastically. He would do anything.

"What do you think about following Maisie for me, eh? Just to see where exactly she's going. I don't believe she's building a fort and I want to make sure she isn't doing anything stupid.''

Gray knew that by "stupid" Owen meant "dangerous".

"Okay,'' Gray nodded. "I can do that.''

"Fantastic.'' Owen clapped him on the back. "I'll leave you to it then.''

He got up and left.

Gray felt a swell of pride that Owen trusted him. He doubted following Maisie was a good idea. But Owen had entrusted him to do so and he didn't want to let him down. He was also bored and wanted to do something exciting. But he had to be careful. Gray was pretty sure if Maisie discovered he had been spying on her she would be pissed off.

Inside the forest, Gray had to admit it was a sight to behold. Sunlight streamed through the trees making kaleidoscopic patterns on the ground. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Birds chirping and the distinct chattering of a perturbed squirrel hung in the air. It was all very relaxing. Gray could understand why Maisie spent so much time in there. Even if it was not wonderful, he would have understood Maisie disappearing for the sake of being alone. What he couldn't understand was why she was sketchy about it. She was most definitely doing something she shouldn't be doing. Why else would she so secretive? That was why Gray was following Owen's orders. He was finding out where Maisie was going.

Gray walked on. He listened carefully to Maisie's distant footsteps. The ground was soft, but covered in leaves, making Maisie hard to track. Fortunately for Gray, she took the same way every time which made a natural path. Gray was beginning to think of what he was going to say to Maisie when he discovered where she was. It would probably be best to go straight back to the cabin without notifying Maisie of his presence. But what if she caught him? That would suck.

He suddenly realized something that made him come to an abrupt halt. The sound of Maisie's footsteps had vanished. Gray was standing to one side of a small clearing. Maisie was on the other side. She was stopped. And she was staring straight at him with a look of mixed horror and anger.

"What are you doing here?''

"Umm. . . I was just having a look around.'' It sounded lame even to Gray.

"You were following me!'' Maisie's pretty face had flushed bright red. "Owen put you up to this, didn't he?''

Gray crossed his arms defiantly. He tried not to look the girl in the eyes. "If it's really that important, yeah, he did. But he was only worried about you! You spend more time out here than anywhere else and you refuse to tell anyone anything about what you're doing.''

"I said I was building a fort.''

"Then where is it?'' Gray shot back. "I don't see a fort.'' He made an exaggerated motion of looking around the clearing.

Maisie narrowed her eyes. "Why is it your—or Owen's, for that matter—business what I'm doing?''

Gray had to admit it wasn't his business at all. But that didn't mean he was going to let Maisie overthrow him. "Because Owen's your Dad and legal guardian, that's why. And while we're on the topic, why do you refuse to call your parents "Mom" and "Dad" like any other kid? What is with you?''

"For your information, there not my parents!'' Maisie snapped. "There more of legal guardians. And it isn't—and never will be—your business what I—" She stopped. The color drained from her face. He brown eyes fixed on something behind him.

Gray frowned. He began to turn around.

"Don't move!'' Whispered Maisie sharply.

"Wha—?''

Something heavy suddenly hit Gray squarely in the back with so much force he fell onto his face in the dirt. The breath was knocked out of him. He heard Maisie shrieking but the sound felt far away. He managed to turn around onto his back. His vision was blurred, but the clear blue sky was blocked by something. Gray blinked hard, ignoring the pounding in his skull and flutter of his heart. His vision cleared.

Something was staring down at him.

It was a dinosaur.

A raptor.

Recognition dawned on Gray a second before the beast pounced on him.

It was Blue.


	6. Chapter 6

It was Blue.

Gray's first thought: Holy shit, she's alive!

Gray's second thought: Holy shit, I'm dead!

The velociraptor lunged at Gray. He dove out of the way, clearing her claws by only centimeters. He scrambled to his feet. His heart thudded in his chest like a gong. Blue circled him slowly. Gray risked a glance at Maisie. She was very pale, but remained calm. Don't move, she mouthed. Gray already knew not to. That would be asking for trouble.

Blue snapped at him again. This time she barely missed his fingers. She drew back, cocking her head. Gray knew she was playing with him. It was odd behavior. Why wasn't he dead yet? The way the beta raptor gazed at him was both puzzling and unsettling. It was almost like she remembered him form Jurassic World. But that was nearly five years ago. . . Surely Blue wouldn't have remembered him when they had barely seen each other anyway. But would she? Owen repeatedly declared how smart velociraptors were. Them having exceptional memories made sense. They couldn't be equivalent to a humans though. . .

Blue made a sudden movement forward. Startled, Gray stumbled backward and fell. Blue stepped onto his stomach before he could get up. He was pinned. Gray felt the raptor's claws puncture his shirt and prick his stomach. The knowledge that, if she wanted to, Blue could rip his gut out right then and there was terrifying. Stupid knowledge.

"Blue!'' Maisie called weakly. Gray couldn't see her, but knew the girl was close. The dinosaur payed her no heed. Blue narrowed her eyes and brought her snout closer to Gray's face. Gray struggled to keep his breathing even. He was not sure if Blue could detect his fear.

A claw extended towards him. Gray squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the brief agony before his gruesome death. But all he felt was a sharp pain in his left arm. He felt Blue slowly rake a claw down his arm. It was a painful, prickling sensation. The most uncomfortable part wasn't the burning pain though. It was the feeling and sound of his skin being tore slowly to shreds. Was this how Gray was going to die? Ripped apart, bit by bit, until he bled to death? Was Maisie just going to stand there and watch? Despite his pain and terror, Gray couldn't help being annoyed with her.

The weight on his stomach suddenly vanished. Gray took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Blue had gotten off of him and was now standing expectantly beside him. Gray did not dare to move. Several moments passed before the raptor darted away. Gray sat up. His stomach churned and his arm throbbed painfully. Fighting back the urge to throw up, he glanced at his wound. It was a clean, narrow, cut, about three inches long. It was not bleeding profusely which Gray took as a good sign. It hurt, yeah, but it was neither deep nor dangerous.

"Hey, girl.''

Gray jerked his head back to the center of the clearing. Blue was standing by Maisie's side like she was her guardian angel or something. Maisie was stroking her neck gently as one would a pony, and crooning softly to her.

Enraged, Gray staggered to his feet. Blue's eyes flitted towards him. Then she turned tail and ran. A nearby bush rustled and four little beasts that looked like lizards on two legs dashed out and followed her. Gray's jaw dropped.

"She's got babies? Blue is a mother?"

"Yes,'' said Maisie timidly.

"And you knew this?''

"Yes.''

"How long?'' Gray asked angrily. He was in shock and in pain and really didn't feel like putting up with Maisie's dodges. "Is this why you have been sneaking off? To visit a monster and her little freaks?''

"Yes.'' Maisie's lower lip trembled.

"Why the hell would you do that?!'' Gray burst out.

"I-I never meant to find her. I just came across her, I guess. She was protecting her eggs and I recognized her from pictures and videos and. . . experience. Anyway, she wasn't aggressive towards me. She definitely recognized me! So I thought I would visit her and help her get uses to being with humans again and then take her and her babies to cabin.''

"And you never told Owen?''

"No. You won't tell him, will you?'' She looked suddenly desperate. "Oh, Gray, you can't!''

"Why not?'' He asked crossly. "He deserves to know.''

"I know, but. . . But Blue isn't ready to see humans yet! She was only aggressive towards you because of the babies. I was with her before they hatched; she trusts me. I can't bring her to the cabin yet. What if she attacks Claire or Zach?'' Maisie's brown eyes filled with tear.

"At least tell Owen,'' Gray pressed.

"But he'll be mad at me for not telling earlier!''

Gray sighed. He was feeling sick and light-headed. He just wanted to get back to the cabin.

"Say you won't tell!'' Maisie begged. "Promise!''

"Fine.'' Gray sighed again. "I won't tell Owen or anyone else.''

"Thank you, Gray.'' Maisie's eyes shone.

"Can we get back now?''

"Oh! Yes, sorry. Come on, let's go.''

 

Owen yawned loudly, stretching his arms. He was exhausted and ready for bed. It had been a long day. That morning he had guarded an inauguration. He had worked around the house all day. Now all Owen wanted to do was curl up next to Claire and fall fast asleep. Yes, that sounded nice.

He glanced towards the forest. Nearly two hours ago, he had sent Gray to spy on Maisie. Now, with the sun setting, he decided that had been a bad idea. Owen had not thought they would be this long. He also hadn't thought about what would happen if Maisie discovered Gray following her. She be pissed off with Owen.

Owen hated it when Maisie was pissed off with him. She was usually mild-tempered, but when, on the occasion, she did lose her temper with him. . . Well, it made Owen uncomfortable. He felt like Maisie still had not fully acknowledged him and Claire as her parents. For one, since she was a clone, she had never actually had parents. Owen and Claire were literally her first ones. For another, they provided everything for her. Maisie often showed her gratitude, but rarely any affection. When she did it was hugs for Claire and smiles for Owen. Owen loved her pretty smile, but a hug would be nice. She had hugged him once in Lockwood Manor. That was two years ago when Maisie was a small, frightened child. She had changed very much.

"Hey, babe.'' Claire came up to stand next to him. Owen bent down and kissed her cheek. She flashed him an amused smile. "Have you seen Maisie and Gray? I haven't seen them all afternoon. . .''

Owen shrugged his shoulders as indifferently as possible. "Yeah, I saw 'em around. Where'e Zach? He's not still working, is he?''

Claire shook her head. "No, I'm making him quit his job. He's sick. I think he has been for quite a while.

Owen nodded, but said nothing. It was good Zach wasn't working anymore. He never had needed to in the first place. He agreed with Claire that Zach had been under the weather for awhile. That kid was seriously messed up. Owen felt another prick of resentment towards Clare's sister.

"Have you heard anything from Karen?'' He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"She texted me this morning. I told her things were fine.''

"Not that you lied or anything.''

Claire scowled at him. "I didn't. We're fine.''

"No thanks to her,'' Owen muttered.

Claire either didn't hear him or had chosen to ignore his last comment. The latter was more probable. Instead, she changed the topic completely. Unfortunately, it was extremely out of Owen's favor. "What were Maisie and Gray doing when you saw them last?''

Owen could not think of anything to say. He couldn't lie to his wife. But he didn't exactly fancy telling her the truth either.

"Owen?" She prompted.

"Maisie ran off into the forest again.''

"And Gray?''

"He followed her,'' said Owen, casually.

Claire's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Did she know?''

"I don't think so.''

Claire looked doubtful. "What was he doing? Did you talk to either of them or did you just watch?''

"I talked to Gray.'' Think casual, think casual.

"And. . .?''

Owen was quiet.

"Owen, what did you tell Gray?'' Claire groaned, exasperated by her husband's sketchiness.

"He wasn't doing anything and he looked bored and lonely, so I told him to follow Maisie to see where she keeps going,'' Owen answered truthfully.

Claire blinked at him. "You did what?''

"I—"

"What were you thinking, Owen?!'' She suddenly burst out. "Maisie is going to be furious! At both you and Gray! What the hell—?''

"I'm sorry, okay?'' Owen interrupted. "But I couldn't follow her and we need to know where she's been going these last couple weeks. It isn't safe, Claire. Dinosaurs, fricking dinosaurs are on the loose! You know—"

"Here they come.'' Claire started walking quickly towards the edge of the forest where the missing children were emerging. Owen followed.

Maisie and Gray were a sight to behold. They were both covered in mud and leaves. Maisie had two twigs sticking out of her hair which resembled small antlers. Gray's face was a dingy shade of green. The bottom half of his t-shirt was ripped off, the rags from it were wrapped tightly around his left forearm. Blood was seeping through.

"Oh my God, where the hell have you been?'' Claire threw her arms around them both. She held them just long enough for it to be awkward, then pulled back to look at them. Her expression turned sour. "Well? Where were you?''

Gray glanced at Maisie. She lifted her chin. "Working on the fort, of course. This time Gray came with me.''

This would have been a good story, except Owen had already told Claire that he had sent Gray to spy on Maisie.

Claire crossed her arms. "Oh, really? Because Owen said he sent Gray to find out where you were disappearing off to, Maisie.''

Maisie adopted a wounded expression. "But Gray said he just wanted to play. . ."

Gray shrugged. "I did want to play.''

Claire turned to Owen. He knew what she was asking. Could they be trusted to tell the truth? Owen wanted to believe they could. They were being exceptionally convincing, especially Maisie. And yet, Owen could not believe them. Something was up. Gray knew exactly what Maisie was doing. Why hadn't he said anything? Perhaps he was waiting to speak with Owen in private? That must have been it, Owen decided.

"What happened to your arm?'' Claire asked, noticing the bloody makeshift bandages.

"There was a sharp stick protruding from our fort,'' Gray explained. "I walked right into it.''

"Let me see.''

Gray carefully unwrapped the bandages from his wounded arm. A three inch long cut sliced his skin. Owen narrowed his eyes. A stick couldn't have done that, no matter how sharp. The cut was too narrow, too clean. Where had he seen that before. . .? The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. A velociraptor. But that was impossible. If Maisie and Gray had run into a raptor they would both be dead. Besides, Blue was the last of her kind. And it absolutely couldn't have been Blue. She could not be so close to Owen and not come to him. Sure, it had been awhile, but this was Blue they were talking about. She would never forget him. But even if she had, wouldn't she just have killed the two children? Owen shook his head. It made no sense. Maybe it was some other dinosaur. Why, oh why, wouldn't Maisie or Gray say anything? They knew they wouldn't be in trouble. Owen's head began to hurt. He saw from her expression that Clare hadn't put any of this together. At least for now, it would be better if Owen kept his revelations to himself. A stick. A sharp stick had cut Gray. That was how the story was told and that was what Owen was going to accept.

"Come on,'' he grunted. "Let's get that cleaned up before it gets infected.''

They four people began walking back towards the cabin. No one spoke. Claire and Gray pushed through the front door. Owen hung back. Maisie moved to go in, but Owen blocked the doorway with his arm. The girl glanced quizzically up at him.

"You've become a very good little liar,'' he said in a low voice.

Maisie pushed past him into the cabin.

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	7. Chapter 7

Claire felt like she was wandering alone in the dark. Everyone had secrets, she knew. But now it seemed like all those secrets were kept from her only. Almost everyone was keeping something from her. Something had happened during the last three days. Ever since Maisie and Gray had returned from the forest something was visibly. . . off. Claire could not lay her finger on it.

Both younger children were acting shady (this was uncharacteristic of Gray). They would be whispering softly to each other and when Claire walked into the room their conversation would cease completely. They didn't seem to want to be around anyone. Claire had suspected something about Maisie for a long time. She was used to it by now. Maisie was used to it. But Gray seemed bothered by all the secret-keeping. He appeared to want to tell Claire everything. Claire appreciated it, but it must not have been worth telling her because Gray never said a word to her about it. The only positive result of the situation was Maisie and Gray were finally friends. Maisie had finally opened-up to Gray and enjoyed his company greatly. Clair wasn't sure who was most happy about it: Maisie, Gray, or Claire herself.

What bothered Claire the most was Owen. He knew something too. And he was keeping it from her. He was lying to her. It was obvious Owen knew what had happened in the forest and how Gray had gotten that nasty cut. But for some reason he refused to even admit to Claire he knew. Maybe he wasn't sure. But he got awfully quiet whenever she questioned him about it. Maisie and Gray knew he had acquired some strange knowledge about their whereabouts. They were even more sketchy around Owen than they were around Claire. And no one told her why. It was so frustration.

Claire's main sense of relief had become Zach. He was the only one who made any effort to be honest anymore. In fact, he told Claire everything. Most of it was upsetting drama at home or shit that went down at school. But some of it was random thoughts Zach had. Random, simple things Claire loved hearing about. She told Zach things she had never even told Owen before. Like how she would sometimes feel exposed in the woods while Owen was at work. She felt safe 80% of the time. But then there were the moments she remembered Jurassic World. Then she felt small, exposed, and endangered. Zach was just as good at listening as he was speaking. Claire knew he related to her on a deep personal level about Jurassic World. It was nice. Owen was never afraid. Maisie would never talk about it. Hardly anyone else alive had ever experienced anything like it. But Zach was different. Claire slowly began to realize how much she would miss their long talks.

Zach helped her around the house some, but mostly they sat and talked for hours. Claire was still concerned about his health—both mental and physical. He still looked haunted, thin, and pale. Low but persistent fevers kept cropping up and Zach would start shivering violently, unable to get warm. He slept for long periods of time but it did not do much. He was constantly tired. Claire knew she ought to take him to the doctor. But whatever illness he had did not seem to be the kind that could be fixed by a simple prescription. The phrase "time is the best form of medicine" came to mind. Maybe Zach just needed more time to recuperate. The stress of raising his little brother and working and trying to keep the peace in his broken home were too much for his broken down, fragile state. Now that Claire and Owen were taking on these responsibilities, Zach might slowly start to heal.

Claire felt helpless. She wanted to do so many things for so many people. She wanted to show Owen she was a good wife, show Maisie she was a good mother, show her nephews everything would be alright and they were safe. But she felt she hadn't done any of that. Owen was keeping things from her, Maisie had some major secret and pushed away affection, Gray had seemingly sided with Maisie on their stupid secret, and Zach was ill. Claire tried so hard, but she was not sure what else she could do. It was all so goddam frustrating.

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"You sure about this?''

"I already told you, Gray, everything is perfectly fine! Relax. They won't hurt you.''

Gray glanced nervously around. "But you're really sure?''

Maisie had taken Gray back to the clearing where Blue had attacked him. He had begged her to, and she had gotten tired of his whining and relented. She had already explained to him that the clearing in the forest was where Blue and her babies lived. Maisie had been visiting them everyday since she found them. She had formed a special bond with each of the baby velociraptors and with Blue. Blue was currently no where to be seen. This did not bother Maisie, who knew Blue to run off occasionally. Gray, however was growing increasingly nervous of her return. Last time he had encountered the Beta she had gashed his arm.

"Positive,'' Maisie stressed the last word with an exasperated sigh. "If you're so scared, go back to the cabin.''

"I'm not scared,'' Gray muttered. "You just don't know what it's like to have dinosaurs trying to rip you to pieces.''

"I do actually.'' Maisie didn't look up.

Gray was quiet. The two of them were seated beside the velociraptors' nest. Maisie had her legs tucked under her. A strand of her brown had fallen from her high-bun and was hanging in her face. The afternoon sun was shining through the trees and caught the strand at the perfect angle so that it shone with a beautiful golden tinge. Maisie's brown eyes were averted from Gray's. Gray realized he had brought back bad memories. He tapped his fingers guiltily on his thighs.

"Sorry,'' he mumbled. "That was a stupid argument. Of course you know what it's like. . .'' He trailed off awkwardly.

"It's okay,'' Maisie replied softly, still not looking at him. "Claire told me things about you and Zach. I think she told me because she wanted us to become friends. I think she wanted me to feel sorry for you but I don't. I understand everything you have been through. I . . . relate. . . to it. The broken family part I definitely relate to, but who doesn't anymore? There are no happy families. Honestly though, what other kids can say they've been chased by dinosaurs? It's terrifying and kind of cool in a hellish way.''

"That's one way of looking at it.''

Maisie finally pulled her gaze up to meet Gray's. She flashed a pretty smile. "It's the only way of looking at it that does not induce a mental breakdown or PTSD.''

Gray wondered how someone could be so optimistic in on aspect and so pessimistic in another. She certainly saw no sunny side to their family issues. "You're wrong, you know.''

"About what?''

"There are happy families out there. We can be one.''

Maisie started shaking her head. "No, Gray—"

"What if it was only us? You, me, Zach, Aunt Claire, and Owen. I think we could make it work.''

No reply came. They were quiet for a long time. No one knew what to say next. Instead, Gray watched the baby velociraptors scamper around the clearing. There were four of them. Two were jet-black, one was a reddish brown, and one was blue. The last looked like a mini Blue. Gray's first thought was that was the Beta of the litter, but the other babies followed one of the black one's lead. Gray noted that while the other black raptor was completely black, this one had dark brown speckling on its neck and arms. If it was the next Beta, did that mean Blue, their mother, had been promoted to Alpha?

"So, Maisie.'' Gray felt the need to strike up conversation again. "How exactly did you find raptors?''

Maisie looked grateful for the silence to be ended at last. "I was just exploring the woods. I stumbled across this clearing by chance and I found a nest. There were four eggs inside. I knew they were too big to be birds' eggs—plus the nest was on the ground, by a tree, not in one. I heard something behind me so I turned around. And there was Blue. I recognized her instantly. I think she may have recognized me too. I stared at her and she stared at me. It was a couple days before you and Zach came.''

"That's it? She didn't try to attack you for being by her eggs?'' Gray was mildly surprised.

Maisie shrugged. "She had no one to look after them while she hunted."

"So you babysat her eggs while she hunted in exchange for her not gutting you?''

"Basically.''

"Seriously?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?'' Maisie said hotly.

Gray was silent again. Something had come to mind. A reason why Blue would trust Maisie and not him. Maisie had saved Blue's life. Owen had privately shared with him that Maisie had released the dinosaurs at Lockwood Manor instead of letting them die. It was technically Maisie's fault people were being slaughtered by the beasts. That was why Owen and Claire had moved with her to the secluded forest. To keep her away from the mainstream news. The media had no idea how the dinosaurs escaped the Manor. But Maisie did. She could never know all the lives she had ended by the innocent attempt to save fellow clones that, in her young mind, were just as deserving of life as she. Another question jumped in Gray's head. How had the velociraptors reproduced? There were no others of their kind. Gray shook himself. Too many damn questions and not enough answers.

"Do the raptors have names?'' Said Gray, because constantly changing the subject was the only way he was ever able to keep a conversation with a girl rolling.

Maisie brightened slightly. "Yes, they do. I'll show you.''

She gave a short, sharp whistle. The four velociraptors immediately perked at the noise and scrambled over obediently. Gray scooted back a little bit. He was still a little shy. The raptors clustered around Maisie. She picked up the red one and placed it in her lap and began stroking its head like it was a kitten.

"This is Scarlett.'' Maisie scooped up the black one. "And this is Max.'' The blue raptor scurried into the nest. Maisie indicated to it with her head. "That's Periwinkle. Winky for short.''

The speckled black raptor was left standing alone. It cocked its head at Gray. With her one free hand Maisie picked it up and placed it gently in Gray's lap. Gray stiffened as creature's small claws scratched his legs. It was still very young, but its claws were already like little needles.

"Her name is Adaela.''

Gray carefully ran his hand down Adaela's back. "The Beta.''

"That's right.''

"That makes Blue the Alpha?'' Gray asked.

Maisie nodded.

"Don't tell Owen,'' muttered Gray under his breath.

"You won't, will you?'' Maisie said sharply. "You won't tell Owen?''

Gray did not see why it was such a big deal, but nodded all the same. "It's our secret.''

Maisie relaxed.

"Scarlett, Max, Winky, and Adaela, eh? Reminds me of Echo, Charlie, Delta, and Blue,'' said Gray thoughtfully.

"Were those the others?'' Maisie sounded almost wistful. "I mean, I watched most of Owen's vlogs a couple years ago. I think maybe that's how I learned to casually train them.''

"Weren't those vlogs strictly classified? Vetoed?''

Maisie shrugged again. "Yes.'' She gave no other explanation and Gray was afraid to ask. It wasn't worth ruining the moment. He found himself wishing they could be trapped there forever; Maisie Grady and Gray Mitchell and four baby velociraptors.


	8. Chapter 8

Gray lie still, his eyes closed, feigning sleep. He listened to his brother's even breathing beside him. Without even noticing, Gray's own breath fell into the same rhythm. He tried to relax his mind. But thoughts and worries kept popping back up. Finally, with a soft groan, he opened his eyes and glanced at his watch. 11:54. Six minutes to go.

Gray rolled over to that he was facing Zach. Zach was curled up with his blanket pulled to his chin. His face was thin and pale, but he looked at peace. Gray was getting worried about his big brother. Zach had been quiet and reserved recently. He was looking quite awful too. Gray knew he had been talking to Aunt Claire a lot and that she was definitely worried. Was Zach sick? He wanted to ask her what exactly was wrong with Zach, but Gray was afraid of the answer. His older brother had done so much for him. Gray didn't know what he would do if something happened to Zach. Or was happening. . .

Agitated, Gray checked his watch again. 11:57. That was close enough. Checking once last time to make sure Zach was asleep, Gray scooted out of bed. He hadn't even bothered getting into his pajamas that night. He had slept in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He pulled on boots and wiggled into his jacket. Quietly as possible, Gray slipped out of his shared bedroom, softly closing the door. He tiptoed through the kitchen and living room to the front door. As he opened the door the cool night air swept through his hair. He hurried into the dark night, jittery with excitement from the rendezvous, his stomach tightly knotted from nerves of being caught.

"Gray!'' The slight whisper shattered the silent night. "Over here!''

Maisie was waving at the edge of the forest. Gray hurried over.

"Glad you could make it,'' said Maisie as he joined her.

"Remind me why we're doing this?'' He said breathlessly.

"Because we sneak out too much in the day,'' Maisie explained. "My parents are already suspicious enough.''

"So we're going out at night now?'' Gray asked, nervously glancing around the dark forest. "Are you sure that's safe?''

"Of course it is. I wouldn't lead you into danger, would I?''

"Not intentionally.''

Maisie snorted, an action Gray found both amusing and cute. "Come on, fraidy-cat.'' She started tromping into the forest, Gray hot on her heels.

Behind them, hidden in the shadows of the cabin, Owen watched. His eyes narrowed into slits. It was time he found out what they were doing—once and for all.

JWJWJWJWJWJW

Years of training and being in the navy made Owen light and sure-footed. He moved silently a ways behind the two children. They were talking and laughing quietly; Owen could not make out what they were saying. But he would know soon enough. Adrenaline coursed though his veins. Owen was so ready to discover what was so important to his nephew and daughter. This better be good, he thought. Weeks of lies must add up to something. If it was some dumb shit child's-play Owen would be pissed as hell.

While the art of silent-movement came easily to Owen, it was hard to maintain for an extended period of time. Maisie and Gray were taking there own sweet time. Owen stepped wrong. Crack! A single twig snapped beneath his heavy boots. He dove behind a tree.

Gray whirled around. "Oh shit, what was that?!"

"Probably just a raccoon.'' But Maisie sounded worried. "Come on, we're almost there. Let's hurry.''

Almost where?

Excitement sparked inside Owen. He was so close to solving this mystery. Carefully, he emerged from behind the tree. But wait. Where did they go? Maisie and Gray had vanished behind a thin tree line. Owen slowly approached the spot where he had last seen them only a minute ago. He listened, shutting off every other sense. He heard a distinct rustle of leaves. Murmuring voices. Smothered giggles. And. . . a growl? No, more like a purr. A happy purr. Content. Satisfied.

Wait.

Owen knew that sound.

Well, very well.

Stealth completely forgotten, Owen crashed through the trees and stumbled into a clearing. Owen and Maisie jerked their heads up, looks of alarm spreading across their faces. They were kneeling on the ground under a tree, leaning over— oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. The four baby velociraptors blinked their large eyes at Owen. He was rigid. One of them suddenly threw back it's scaley head and bawled.

"No, no, Winky, quiet, shh, quiet Winky!" Maisie cried hysterically. She and Gray snatched up the babies and hugged them close trying to calm them down before they alerted their mother. Their mother, Owen thought. Where was. . ?

A ear-splitting shriek fractured the night. The shrubbery behind the tree where the kids and raptors were located rustled for a moment. Then a creature burst out. Owen recognized her immediately. His heart jolted.

"What the fu—"

Owen was knocked to the ground with incredible force. He fought the feeling of having the breath knocked out of him and took a deep, stuttering breath. He felt sharp claws dig into his shoulder not quite hard enough to draw blood. Most of the raptor's weight held his thighs to the ground, where her feet were placed. She was staring straight at him, teeth bared. Owen stared back at her, unflinching.

"Well, hey there, Blue. Is this any way to greet your old man?''

Blue hissed. But she didn't tear his face off. Owen felt emotion swell inside, threatening to choke him. This was Blue. His Blue. The Blue that he had raised from an egg, the Blue that he had saved, the Blue that had saved him. All these memories. And she had him pinned to the ground, about to pounce with a killing blow. What a nice way to die, Owen thought bitterly, killed by your best friend.

"Blue, stop!" It was Maisie's voice, but it sounded different. It was strong, commanding. Not a hint of awkward or discomfort.

Owen glanced in the direction of the voice. Maisie was standing tall close by. She had her hand extended to Blue. Her face was tight with concentration. "Blue, you heard me. Get off of Owen. Now Blue!''

Blue hissed, but back down.

Owen shot to his feet. He dusted himself off and looked erectly around. The four baby raptors were huddled around Gray. Gray looked both relieved and guilty. Blue was standing beside Maisie. Maisie no longer looked like an army general. Her pretty eyes were wide with shock and fear. Her lower lip trembled. She suddenly moved forward and threw her arms around Owen. But Owen wasn't in the mood. He pushed her roughly away and stepped back. Maisie's face lit up with surprise and hurt. But Owen did not care. Not now. This had gone too far. He was breathing hard, but forced himself to be calm and spoke evenly. "Maisie, explain.''

"I'm sorry, Owen, I—"

"I don't want to hear your reasons or sentiments,'' Owen said bluntly. "Just tell me how this all happened.''

Wringing her hands nervously, Maisie told Owen. "I was just wondering through the forest one day and I came across Blue and her nest. I think she remembered me from Lockwood Manor. I don't know, Owen, I was just so lonely! I couldn't help spending so much time with her. When her eggs hatched, I fell in love with the babies. I watched you vlogs where I picked up some tips. I'm sorry, Owen! I couldn't help it.''

"Why did you never tell me?'' Owen forced his gaze on his daughter. He couldn't bare to look at Blue. So she had remembered Maisie but not him, eh? No, she hadn't remembered Owen one bit. At least he hoped not. Why had Blue just tried to kill him?

Maisie was on the verge of tears. "I wanted to, honest!''

"But you didn't.''

"It wasn't just her,'' Gray spoke out. "I've known for awhile now too, and I've said nothing.'' He crossed from the tree to where Maisie stood.

"I couldn't tell you, Owen,'' said Maisie miserably. "I couldn't risk it, you see. What if Blue had freaked out and hurt you? And what about Claire and Zach? I couldn't risk anyone's safety. Blue is extra protective because of her motherly-instincts, and—"

"Motherly-instincts?'' Owen interrupted. His eyes fell on the babies. "My God. Those are her children?''

"Yes,'' whispered Maisie timidly.

"And you still never told me?''

Gray and Maisie exchanged a trapped glance, then nodded sheepishly.

"You little shits,'' Owen growled.

"Please don't be mad!'' Maisie sobbed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. Owen hated himself for making her cry. He had never made her cry before. But no, this wasn't his fault. Maisie had brought this upon herself.

"Come on. We're going home.'' Owen turned and started back for the cabin.

"We're leaving now?'' Said Gray, confused.

"It's the middle of the night.''

"Oh, ok. Uh, by you guys! See you tomorrow. . . hopefully.''

Owen continued walking. He heard Blue whine, but he ignored her and kept going. Maisie and Gray followed Owen closely on the way back. The night was quiet again, except for Maisie's occasional sniffles. Out of the corner of his eye, Owen saw Gray put his arm around her shoulders and whisper something in her ear. It made Owen even more disgruntled. The kids were most likely just friends, but Owen was still wary. They were cousins.

His mind drifted back to Blue. He shut it off. He shut it all off. He was tired. Tomorrow he would think. Right now, he just wanted to be home.

When they got back to the cabin, Owen sent Gray straight back to bed. Gray silently obeyed, tossing another guilty glance over his shoulder and he crept back into his room. Maisie stood alone with Owen in the kitchen now. Neither spoke. Maisie stared at her muddy combat boots.

"Get to bed.'' Said Owen roughly.

Maisie looked as though she were about to say something, but she held her tongue. She started up the ladder to the loft where she slept. About halfway up, she paused. "I'm sorry,'' she whispered, then scrambled up the rest of the ladder.

Owen sighed, running his hands through his hair. Then he slipped back into his and Claire's bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and slid in bed next to Claire. He cuddled close to her sleeping form, longing for comfort. His arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. Owen kissed her forehead gently and snuggled his head against her shoulder. She shifted in her sleep, her beautiful face catching the moonlight streaming in through the window. Owen would have stared at her until dawn, but exhaustion got the best of him. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware of the trouble that was to come.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I don't usually leave notes (sorry hehe), but y'all have given me some awesome feedback and very kind words. I really appreciate your time spent reading/comments. Thanks a million and enjoy!

  
Maisie slept in the next morning. Or rather she woke up at a normal time and lay in bed for an hour, moping. She couldn't believe her luck. She had tried so hard to keep the velociraptors a secret from her family. Maisie had dealt with loneliness her entire life. First at Lockwood manor, and then at the secluded cabin. At first life in the cabin had been nice. It was just her and her parents. But then Maisie had discovered the raptors and complicated everything by keeping it a secret. No, the loneliness of having a great secret was nothing compared to the guilt she felt. Guilt for having lied, having betrayed everyone's trust. Sometimes she wished she'd never come across Blue and her eggs. But the feeling was fleeting. Deep down in her soul, she would always be glad she had found the raptor family. They were always there if she needed to rant. Maisie knew she could go to her parents or cousins if she needed something, but they would understand what she meant and would most liking judge her, even if they did not mean to. Blue and her babies were just animals. Intelligent, but nonetheless animals. They didn't understand Maisie's problems and they certainly didn't judge her. That was what made them so wonderful to be around. They understood physical contact. They were there for her as long as she gave them a good scratch. The velociraptors were the kind of friends Maisie had always longed for.

And now everything was ruined. Maisie would secretly admit to being relieved when Gray discovered her. The burden of keeping a secret from the ones she loved the most was much lighter when shared with someone else. No, Gray finding out was not a problem. It was Owen. Her dad knew. He knew where she'd been all summer. It made things worse that it wasn't just a normal raptor—no, it was Owen's raptor. Maisie had found Owen's best friend and not spoken a word to him about it. She had planned to tell both her parents eventually. But she had imagined herself doing it calmly, sitting down with them and explaining everything. But it had all gone wrong. Owen knew and he had surely told Claire. God, what would Claire say? She'd be pissed, that was for sure. And what would become of Blue and her family? They weren't ready to see everyone. What if they hurt someone? But everyone would like to see them. But they would attack. Blue had attacked Owen. Maisie shuddered to think what would happen if their nest was suddenly invaded by strangers. It wouldn't be good.

God. Maisie was so screwed.

Eventually, she drug herself out of bed and got dressed. She grudgingly made her way down the ladder from the loft to the kitchen. Owen, Claire, Zach, and Gray were all seated at the table, eating lunch. She awkwardly slid into a chair beside Gray. He glanced quickly at her. Owen was obviously making an effort to not look her way, which stung. Zach greeted her warmly. Maisie forced a smile back. She couldn't help noticing that he still looked rather wan. What was his problem anyway? she wondered,

"Good afternoon, Sweetheart,'' said Claire. "How did you sleep?''

"Fine,'' Maisie lied (it had become quite easy), stuffing some toast in her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk anymore. So Owen hadn't told Claire about the raptors. Well, that was something. Maybe now Maisie had a chance of explaining it the right way.

"Maisie?'' Owen looked directly. "Don't you have something you would like to tell your mother?''

Claire glanced at her with interest. "Oh?''

Maisie swallowed so hard the toast scraped her throat raw. She coughed slightly and took a long drink of water, desperately trying to think of how to explain this. She was not ready! She automatically glanced at Owen for help. But she quickly looked away. This was his fault. Anger bubbled inside her. But she couldn't back down now. She forced a smile. "Yeah, there's, uh, something I've been meaning to tell you. . . for a while.''

Claire waited patiently.

"You've probably been wondering what I've been doing in to forest these last couple months. I haven't been building a fort. I found something.'' She refused to look at Owen. "Do you remember Blue?''

Claire's eyes widened in alarm. Zach looked equally confused. But neither spoke.

"Do you remember Blue?'' Maisie repeated.

"Yes, Maisie, I remember Blue.'' Claire's voice was hushed.

Here goes nothing. "Well, she's here. In our forest. And I've been helping her.''

Claire just stared at her.

"I'm sorry I never told anyone,'' Maisie continued, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I was afraid that if I did, you would make me stop seeing her. And I had to keep seeing her. There was no one else for me to connect with. You and Owen were just not enough, and I don't mean for that to sound as harsh as it seems. I am extremely grateful for you both. You saved my life. But I'm twelve, and I need friends. There are no other children for miles. Even if we did have neighbors then I'm not even sure I would be able to make friends. I'm just not used to having friends. But that doesn't mean I'm not lonely. I—" Maisie suddenly stopped, partly because she knew she was just rambling now and partly because everyone was now staring at her. Owen's expression was impossible to read. Claire's mouth hung slightly open, her eyes narrowed.

The silence was crippling. It drew out for several minutes. No one wanted to be the first to break the tension. Finally, Maisie could handle it no longer. "Please someone say something!'' She begged.

A beat. Then,

"Just to be clear, we're talking about Blue, the beta velociraptor from Jurassic World?'' Zach seemed mildly interested, not at all surprised. Maisie had actually forgotten about her cousins' presence. She was now grateful to Zach for easing things up a little. But Owen was having nothing of it.

"The very one,'' he said dryly.

"Owen,'' Claire managed to gasp. "Did you. . . know. . . about this?''

Owen crossed his arms. "Your damn right I did.''

"How?''

"I followed them last night. It had gone on too long not knowing where they were going so often. It isn't safe out there, not anymore. They're lucky they weren't torn to shreds by some rabid carnivore,'' Owen glared deliberately at Maisie and Gray.

"Wait, Gray was with you?" Claire demanded.

"Uh. . ." Maisie was reluctant to snitch on her cousin.

"Yeah, I was with her.'' Gray's gaze was even with Claire's. "I'm sorry, aunty.''

"Gray, are you serious?'' Zach groaned. "What were you thinking? You know better! God, what's mom going to say?''

Gray shrugged. "I know. I'm screwed.''

"Yeah, you are,'' muttered Zach.

Maisie tried not to make eye-contact with Claire. She looked confused, hurt, but also curious. Mostly confused and hurt though. Guilt squirmed inside Maisie's stomach. Claire and Owen had made many sacrifices when they had taken her in two years ago. They loved her very much and trusted her. Maisie had betrayed them. Tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She refused to cry about this. It was her damn fault.

Owen stood up. "Let's go then.''

"Go where?'' Gray asked.

"We're taking Claire and Zach to see the raptors.''

Why? After everything they'd been through Maisie doubted either would be keen for more. This thought was confirmed by the nervous glance Claire and Zach exchanged. Owen beckoned them all outside. Claire, Zach, and Gray all went reluctantly to him. Maisie was the only one to remain seated.

"Come on, Maisie.'' Owen's voice was cold.

"I don't think I'll go.'' Maisie stared at the kitchen floor.

"Oh, yes, you will,'' persisted Owen. "You're going to lead the way.''

Maisie got up and left without another word. She had no choice. But she didn't understand why Owen was making her suffer for her mistakes. Maybe she deserved it, but Owen was not the kind of person that purposefully made people uncomfortable or embarrassed or. . . victimized. Maisie assumed it was nothing compared to what he must have felt when he discovered what she had done. The thought made Maisie feel wretched. She wished she could run from it all. She hadn't felt this trapped in a nightmare since her Grandpa had died and she had almost been killed by the Indoraptor. She had never meant for this to go as far as it had. But then again, she'd known the risk. This being as it was, Maisie had still not come to regret her decision. She just had to help Blue.

As she silently lead her family into the forest, the afternoon sun shining warm and bright, Maisie reflected on how she would never know whether or not things would have been easier if she had told Owen and Claire about Blue as soon as she had found her. Would Owen have the guts to run her off their land? Maisie suspected the government had warned Owen about bringing Blue onto his private property. If they hadn't then why had he never tried to locate her? The questions were making Maisie's head pound painfully. She shut her brain off, focusing it on the way the the raptors' nest.

Maisie stopped at the edge of the clearing. She wasn't sure how she wanted this to go down. Gray came up beside her. He motioned for everyone to follow him. Grateful for the responsibility lift, Maisie followed him into the now-familiar clearing where the nest was.

The nest at the bottom of the tree was empty. The velociraptors were gone. Maisie saw everyone exchange uncomfortable looks. "Stay here,'' she told them quietly. To her surprise, they obeyed. No one said anything as she moved to the nest. She crouched beside it. Running her fingers over an imprint, Maisie decided the raptors had not been gone long. They were most likely hunting and would be back soon.

She straightened and turned to her family, but hesitated. Claire was staring at something behind Maisie with a terrified expression. Maisie turned to see a pair of large, luminescent eyes staring through the bushes. Despite her mother's fear, Maisie couldn't help smiling. "Hello there, Scarlett.''

The raptor stepped dramatically out into the clearing. It nuzzled Maisie's hand gently. Maisie could understand why Owen had gotten so attached to the creatures. They were really not aggressive as they looked. Yeah, right. Try telling that to the people they've killed, a voice whispered. But these raptors would never hurt me, Maisie thought. It was true. These velociraptors had not been raised to kill. They had been raised to survive, that was it. Plus, they had had human contact since they hatched. Much safer than the ones raised in the Parks, Maisie decided.

The bushes behind the nest rustled again. The other three raptors leapt suddenly out. Claire screeched and jumped on Owen. Zach took a step back. Gray, however, came up beside Maisie and started stroking Winky's head. "How you doing, girl?'' He murmured. She butted his hand affectionately.

"Come on,'' Maisie beckoned, suddenly glad Owen, Claire, and Zach were there. "They won't hurt you, I promise!"

"You sure about that?'' asked Claire warily.

"Yes! They're perfectly safe.''

"That's what they said last time,'' Zach muttered.

"Yeah, but this is different,'' Gray pointed out. "These dinosaurs are not being displayed as attractions. They're not part of an amusement park; they're free.''

"Which makes them a helluva a lot more dangerous,'' said Owen darkly. Claire clung to him even more tightly. Zach's eyes flitted around the clearing as if he was searching for the most accessible exit if shit went down.

"What Gray meant,'' said Maisie, "was that the only human contact up until now Blue's babies have had is from Gray and I. They have never known boundaries or regulations or captivity. As far as they know, humans have only ever wanted what's in their best interest. They don't know us as their victims. Just their friends.''

"Don't be afraid, Zach,'' encouraged Gray. "The raptors weren't even the ones attacking us at Jurassic World! It was the Indominous Rex, remember?''

"I try not to.''

"Why? In hindsight, it was kinda cool to be chased by dinosaurs in a truck with our estranged aunt's badass boyfriend.''

"Not when you promised your mom you would look after your little brother and you keep almost dying from increasingly traumatizing events.''

Gray was quiet. He had told Maisie about some of the things that had happened in Jurassic World. They honestly didn't sound any worse than what she had endured at Lockwood Manor. But Gray had also told her that the trauma had a different affect on Zach since he was older and remembered it all so much clearer and trying to keep his little brother alive. Maisie had to admit that her young mind had altered some of the events at Lockwood Manor to the point where she didn't remember some things clearly. She guessed the same thing had happened to Gray. But Zach had been considerably older. Some memories could never be forgotten, especially when a young teenager mind processes them. Sometimes children were less vulnerable than teens, Maisie sadly realized.

"Speaking of Blue,'' Claire's usually steady voice was shaking slightly, "where is she?''

"Guess she isn't back from the hunt or whatever they were doing out there,'' said Gray quickly, eager to get away from the previous conversation.

"Typical,'' muttered Owen. Maisie wished he would take a gentler approach to this situation.

"Here, let's introduce you to the fleet,'' said Gray.

Maisie scoffed. "'The fleet'?"

Gray's ears turned pink. "Fleet, squad, crew, whatever. The babies.''

"I like crew,'' Maisie said thoughtfully.

"Uh, yeah, sure.'' For some reason Gray was blushing brilliantly. It made Maisie slightly giddy that he might be flushing because she had approved an idea of his. She quickly dismissed the idea, ashamed. They were cousins. But were the really. . . ?

"This is Winky,'' she said a little loudly.

"Winky?'' Owen's brows shot up.

Maisie frowned. "You named one of your raptors Delta.''

Owen flinched slightly at the name of his lost friend, making Maisie feel guilty once more.

"Winky's short for Periwinkle,'' Gray added, easing the moment for the umpteenth time.

"Isn't that a shade of blue?" Zach asked.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you didn't name them all after the different blues?''

"Fifty shades?" Gray cracked a mischievous smile.

Zach shuddered. "Ugh. That was a terrible movie.''

"You watched it?'' Claire demanded.

"No!" Said Zach too quickly. "At least not all of it. . .''

"He skipped the sex scenes.''

"Shut up, asshole.''

Gray snickered evilly. Owen rolled his eyes again and Claire eyed the boys with pursed lips. Zach didn't look as awkward as he should have. Maisie smiled to herself. This time she couldn't hide her admiration. Gray knew how to lighten the mood, that was for sure.

"And this is Adaela.'' Maisie continued on with the introductions. Owen took a particular interest in the aforementioned Adaela. Maisie overheard him murmur to Claire that she reminded him of a young Blue. A natural leader. The thought excited Maisie. Adaela was special to her too. The two of them had bonded the most quickly and tightly.

Everyone laughed when Maisie announced Scarlett's name. "What?'' She said. "She's a reddish-brown color! It seemed perfect!"

Owen just shook his head. "Mais, she's obviously black.''

"Whatever. This last one is Max.''

Owen jerked his head up. "Max?''

"Yeah. . ." Maise cast a puzzled glance at Claire, who wasn't much help.

"Max. . . So that'll be a nickname, right? Like with Winky for Periwinkle? Her name is Maxine? Maxella? Max. . . ette?''

"No,'' said Maisie, growing concerned. "It's just Max. It's a boy, Owen.''

Owen's eyebrows knit. "You're sure?''

"Positive.''

"But that's impossible,'' Claire cut in. "The Park only bred females.''

"Well, Max is a boy. Not sure how it happened, but that's what he is. Is that a problem?''

Her question was ignored.

"But there would have had to be a boy raptor at some point,'' Zach reasoned. "I mean, how else would Blue have been able to reproduce?''

"Maybe she mated some other dinosaur,'' suggested Gray. "Like a similar breed or something?''

"Bro, they're not dogs. It doesn't work like that.''

"How do you know?''

"Your brother's right,'' Owen told Gray. "The only way Blue would have been able to have these babies is if she somehow found a male velociraptor.''

"But there were none,'' said Claire, absentmindedly stroking Winky's head. "There never were any male dinosaurs. Jurassic World was kept strictly female.''

"What if they made the same mistake they did with the original Jurassic Park? With the frog DNA changing some of the females into males halfway through their lifecycle?"

"Wu wouldn't make the same mistake twice,'' Claire insisted. "I was there, behind the scenes. I saw it all happen. Or at least most of it. . . It was enough to know for sure that there were never any males. Trust me.''

Maisie would have, except she couldn't. There was absolutely no possible way there had never been a male raptor. Was there?

Owen rested his hand on Claire's arm. "Whatever the case, it doesn't matter now. What happened happened. Blue is a mother of four. And she's here on our land.''

"How long do you think she's been here?'' Zach asked.

"I've thought about it and I think she came here as soon she realized her predicament. She knew she needed somewhere safe. We were the obvious best option.''

"So you don't think it's a coincidence?'' wondered Gray.

"That seems a little far-fetched, doesn't it?''

"Right, but if Blue purposely nested close to you than why did she attack you last night?''

"What?!'' Claire yelped.

Owen glared at Gray. "I thought we made a silent agreement to not talk about that?"

"What? No, when did we—?''

"We didn't, that's why it's silent. You know— Ugh, forget it.''

"Owen, did Blue really—?''

"Yes!" Owen snapped.

"She would've killed him if Maisie wouldn't have called her off,'' Gray explained.

Claire blanched.

"No, she wouldn't have,'' said Owen through gritted teeth.

"Gray, stop, now,'' muttered Zach.

"I don't think Blue realized it was him until after she pounced,'' said Maisie, "because she didn't kill him. She just let him go, as did she Gray.''

"But she never pounced on you, Maisie?'' Claire was obviously having a hard time digesting all this new information.

Maisie shook her head. "I don't know why. She barely knows me.''

Their conversation was cut short by Blue bursting through the bushes. Everyone jumped in surprise. Adaela, Winky, Scarlett, and Max ran over to her. She gave them each an affectionate rub before baring her teeth and growling at the humans.

"Blue.'' Owen approached her slowly with a hand extended. "Come on, girl. You know me.''

Blue narrowed her eyes, but stopped growling. She undoubtedly knew Owen. And then, just like that, Maisie understood. "She's mad at you, Owen.''

"You don't say.''

"Blue came onto our property not to find you, but for you to find her. She wanted everything to be natural, with you by her side every step of the way. Instead I found her.''  
"In other words, you screwed everything up by not telling me you found my raptor,'' Owen spat bitterly.

"Yes, and I've told you how sorry I am!'' Maisie wasn't sure what else she could do.

Owen sighed and turned back to Blue. "No, Maisie, this isn't your fault. It's all mine. I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should have let her go. Not ever.'' He stepped closer to Blue, but she recoiled once again. Owen looked away dejectedly. "It'll take longer than this to regain her trust.''

Claire stepped up and lay her head on his shoulder. "It may take longer than you wish, but she will trust you again, don't worry. Right now, it's late and we better be getting home.''

Owen ran his hands through his sandy hair several times before nodding. He headed in the direction of the cabin without another word. Blue's eyes followed him. She blinked sadly an went back to her nest. Maisie felt like she had just witnessed the most depressing cutting of ties that ever took place. Claire started pursuing Owen towards the house, equally sober. Maisie had never seen her parents like this. They were usually so positive, especially around her. It filled Maisie with a deep sorrow. She couldn't conceal her tears any longer. Although she had escaped immediate punishment for her lies, Maisie had no room in her casket of emotions for relief. Her dad had just lost his best friend. And for that she wept.

She literally sat down and cried. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but when she finally lifted her head from her knees and dried her eyes with her sleeves, the sun was setting. The young raptors were curled in their nest (which they were already outgrowing), staring at her as if they could feel her pain. Blue had disappeared again.

Maisie was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Zach smiling comfortingly down at her. "Are you ready to go home yet?'' He asked softly. Maisie nodded and he pulled her to her feet. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly around his thin waist. He rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay. Everything will turn out alright,'' Zach promised.

Maisie wiped her eyes again and took several deep breaths. She managed a grateful smile to her older cousin whom she had barely spoken to until now. She could understand why Gray was so attached to him. Speaking of Gray. . .

"Are we going now?'' Gray was standing a little ways off. He had waited for her. Both Zach and Gray had waited for her to stop crying and comfort her instead of going back to the cabin. Maisie hugged them both again. Finally, after a long, emotionally exhausting day, they headed home.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a long day for Owen. He'd been working as a dinosaur exorcist for two years now and there had never been anything like today. It was Saturday, which was typically the busiest day of the week for Owen because of all the special events that took place that day. Today he had exorcised two different weddings back-to-back, taking a four hour shift each. The second wedding shift had ended at 7:00 pm. While the business was not uncommon, the remarkable thing about that warm summer day was Owen had actually been needed. There were attacks. At both parties.

Dinosaur attacks were often few and far between. Owen was surprised, almost shaken, that two happened the same day. They weren't very big attacks, the unidentified dinosaurs were aggressive but manageable and had not caused much of a fuss at the receptions. But still, two attacks in one day. Maybe Owen was paranoid because of the recent discovery that Blue was living practically in his back yard and that she was a mother, but he felt that the creatures were multiplying; breeding. That could mean disaster. An almost-apocalyptic fate for humanity. And the only thing Owen could do about it was hope to God he was mistaken. But he wasn't often mistaken.

Owen breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled his truck into the cabin's driveway. Home at last. He put his phone on silent so no one could get ahold of him so he could have a couple hours' peace.

It was nearly half-past eight by the time he finally walked through the door, so the family had already eaten dinner. Owen grabbed some cold, fried chicken and a handful of chips. He then plopped down on the couch, kicked off his boots, and put his feet up.

"I saved you a plate,'' Claire called from where she was washing the dishes.

"I saw it,'' Owen hollered back. "It was salad. There is no way in hell I'm eating that for dinner.''

Claire gave an exasperated sigh. She set down the dishes and dried her hands. She made her way to the couch and curled up next to her husband. He gave her a greasy kiss. Claire wrinkled her nose, but said nothing. After several more moments of silence though, she felt compelled to speak. "So work was rough today?''

"How'd you figure that?'' Owen grunted.

"Oh, it wasn't hard.'' A smiled touched Claire's lips. "You're quiet, cranky, and eating a cold dinner.''

"Hmm.''

"Are you okay?'' Claire asked, now serious.

Owen nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Crazy day, you know?"

Claire rest her head on his shoulder. "Sorry, babe."

"Where're our kids at?''

"Maisie?''

"Yes, Maisie, and the boys.''

Claire smirked. "Oh, so now they are all our kids?''

"Might as well be,'' muttered Owen.

That was. . . true. Claire continuously hoped that her sister, Karen, the Mitchell boys mother, would pull herself together and raise her children right. But that didn't appear to be happening any time soon. And the boys were growing up. Soon it would be too late for their relationship with their parents to heal. Could Owen and Claire adopt Zach and Gray? Or at least they could live with them permanently? The thought kept creeping back into Claire's mind. Karen loved her boys, yes, but not enough. She didn't love them enough to stay with them. She dumped them at Claire's house on short notice so she could go to Europe with her random boyfriend. The worst part was Zach and Gray knew; they knew their mother didn't care enough. She didn't love them anymore than she loved herself. It hurt the boys, Claire knew. They covered it up well. . . at least the emotional side of it. Now the emotional pain Zach felt and hid was causing him physical pain that he could not hide.

"They're in Maisie's loft.''

Despite the thoughts that swarmed Claire's mind, nothing else was spoken on the matter. Owen turned the tv on. Claire's thoughts wandered far off as Owen flipped through the channels. But she snapped back into reality as soon as the News started playing. Owen stiffened beside her. Projected onto the screen was a large picture of Blue. Why would Blue be on the News? Claire's stomach pitched. Owen quickly turned the volume up so they could here what the reporter was saying.

The reporter was young and a little too eager to be sharing important news, thought Claire. She had curly, short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She had large golden hoop earrings. Every couple words she would toss her head in excitement causing her hair to bob and her earrings to jingle distractingly. Claire took this in quickly, then preceded to forget it just as quickly because of the words that flowed from the reporter's droll little mouth. ". . . resources say the velociraptor escaped Jurassic World along with a dozen other species of dangerous beasts known as dinosaurs. However, this particular raptor—Blue is her name—has been said to be the last of her kind, a rogue and a loner.

"No one had seen her for quite some time, leading some to believe she had died out. This was proven to be untrue as Blue made a surprise appearance at a young boy's birthday party near Scottsdale, Arizona. Here's the boy's father.'' The News cut to a flustered, middle-aged man being interviewed.

Owen turned the tv down again. "What kind of bullshit do they think this is? Blue, in Arizona! She's in our fricking backyard with four babies. Recheck your resources, lady.''

The tv cut back to the reporter. "As many are aware, velociraptors are one of—if the most—aggressive dinosaurs recreated in Jurassic World. Now that Blue has been sighted, civilians are growing increasingly concerned for the wellbeing of them and their children. With that being said, the government has officially issued a statement declaring that if anyone should see Blue, to report it immediately. The US Military has been sent to track her down and kill her for the safety of all American citizens—"

The screen went black. That was all Owen could take. He turned it off. He and Claire sat in silence for several moments, neither able to speak. Blue was being hunted. They were going to kill her.

"She never harmed anyone,'' Owen finally said. "They're hunting Blue just to hunt her. She's no threat, never has been. Whatever Mr. Arizona saw at his kid's party was some other creature, that's a fact. And even if it had been Blue, no one was hurt in any way. It's a complete injustice to her. She. Did. Nothing." Owen's fists her clenched so hard on his knees that his knuckles were white.

Claire rubbed his thigh comfortingly. "I know, babe.''

"Even if they find her, they will never catch her. They couldn't before. They won't now. She and her babies are safe, for the time being,'' Owen reasoned, though didn't relax.

"They think they have a lead on her whereabouts too,'' added Claire. "They'll have thoroughly searched Arizona before they even try anywhere else.''  
But Owen shook his head. "The government's not like that. They keep tabs on anyone who might be of use to them. They know where we live. They know our involvement with Blue and the Park. It won't be long before someone in uniform shows up at our door and demands for my help to find her.''

"What will you do then?'' Asked Claire quietly.

"Draw them as far away as possible.''

"Is that really a good long-term solution?''

Owen shrugged. "This'll blow over. Give it a month or two. Everyone will forget and move on. Until then, we keep Blue and her family with us and safe. No one can know she's here.''

Claire nodded.

"As long as she is on our property, she's safe. Our biggest problem will be keeping her here. And quiet. I think I'll stay home from work for a couple weeks. We really can't draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Besides, if it gets out we have dinosaurs living on our property real estate will declare it 'too dangerous' and we'll have to move. I worked too damn hard on this cabin to move.''

Claire nodded again, understanding. They really didn't have much of a choice. They could not let anyone harm Blue and her babies. They could not let anyone know of the babies existence.

"What's going on?"

Owen and Claire spun around. Maisie and the boys were standing at the bottom of the loft ladder. They all wore confused expressions. Claire grimaced. She had wanted to keep this all a secret from the kids. At least Maisie and Gray. Zach probably would have found out anyway.

"When did you kids get here?" Owen asked gruffly.

"I live here,'' snapped Maisie irritably.

"Watch your tone of voice!" Owen snapped back.

Zach and Gray winced uncomfortably. Used to as they were to their own family fighting, seeing others' was awkward. Especially when it was extended family. Claire noticed their discomfort and tried changing the topic. "What were you doing upstairs?''

Gray opened his mouth to answer, but Maisie cut in. "What were you and Owen talking about?''

Claire sighed. She glanced at Owen, whose face was hard-set. "None of you business.''

"It is my business,'' Maisie argued. "I was the one who found Blue! And you're talking about her. Something's wrong and you won't tell me!''

Inwardly Claire swore. The kids heard too much. No point denying anything now. She glanced at Owen who, although obviously displeased, nodded in approval. "You better sit down.''

Owen said nothing while Claire explained everything. The kids listened quietly, not once interrupting her. Maisie's eyebrows knit in concern. Gray played with a small hole in his jeans, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Zach frowned.

"So what are we going to do about it?'' Maisie asked, her voice hard with determination. "We can't just let the damn government kill Blue! She's done nothing—"

"I know,'' said Owen grudgingly.

Silence settled in again.

"So?'' Maisie prompted.

"So what?'' Owen growled.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT BLUE?!" Maisie yelled, jumping to her feet. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET HER DIE, ARE WE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—?''

"Maisie, calm down—"

"BUT—"

"I GET IT!'' Owen yelled back.

They glared at each other for several moments before Owen laced his fingers and crossed his legs.

"You do realize, that I care about this just as much as you?" He said quietly. "In fact, I care more. More than you will ever know. So no, I'm not about to let the goddamn officials kill Blue.'' He stood up. "Everyone grab your jackets. We're going to go see my raptor.''

Everyone silently obeyed. Maisie's face was flushed from anger and embarrassment. Claire considered saying something to improve her mood, but decided against it. She had lashed out to her father. Claire would punish her later though. Right now everyone was just anxious to get to Blue and her babies. Once her safety was reassured they would figure everything else out.

Owen's gait was almost twice as long as everyone else's. That and his fast pace equaled to his other four family members jogging after him. Claire fought to keep her breathing steady. She knew Owen was just anxious to get to Blue as soon as possible, but she couldn't help wishing he would calm down. There was no way Blue was in danger. At least not from the government, not yet. It could be easily figured Owen finally had a good excuse to see his dangerous friend and that was why he was in such a rush, but Claire didn't like that idea either.

No one had been to see the velociraptors since last week, when Blue attacked Owen. Maisie had been longing to see them as well. Claire was just unsure about the whole matter. All she wanted was for her family to be safe, including Zach and Gray. She felt it would be very hard to keep protecting them if they were all involved with dinosaurs and a mild rebellion against the government again.

Owen somehow found the clearing where the nest was without any direction from Maisie or Gray, which was quite remarkable considering he had only been there twice. Everyone but Owen doubled-over to catch their breath upon arrival in the clearing. Owen's eyes narrowed. Still gasping, Claire looked around. She instantly noted something was not right. Now wrong, just not right. The clearing felt empty. And besides the labored breathing, quiet. Far too quiet.

"Owen?''

Claire's husband held a finger up, motioning for silence. His hawk-eyes scanned the clearing for signs of danger. There were none visible. But still. . . .

"Where are they?'' Gray murmured.

That was it! The raptors—every single one—had vanished.

"Ah shit.'' Owen kicked at the ground like an angry toddler.

Maisie raced over to the empty nest. Gray and Zach were close behind.

"The bedding is still warm,'' called Maisie.

Owen narrowed his eyes, but didn't go to the nest. He was still skimming the perimeter of the clearing. He appeared to be looking for something. Something that either wasn't there or wasn't visible.

Gray straightened up from where he was crouched by the nest. "Blue?'' He yelled. "Bluuuuuuuuee!"

"Blue!'' Maisie called. "Where are you, girl?''

Claire and Zach joined in. Owen stayed silent.

"Blue!''

"Adaela!"

"Scarlett!''

"Blue? Come on out!"

"Max!''

"Winky!"

"Blue!"

"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you!''

"Adaela!"

"Guys,'' Owen snapped suddenly. "Shut up.''

Claire, Maisie, Zach, and Gray all were quiet. The only noise was a soft rustling in the trees. And then they heard it. A growl.  
"What was—ahh!'' Gray's sentence was interrupted by him losing his balance and falling on his butt. He hurriedly jumped to his feet. The ground shook hard again, but this time he didn't fall.

Claire's muscles tensed. Another growl. The ground shook harder. For several moments Claire thought the tremor in the ground was an earthquake, not what she had initially feared. But then it stopped. Everything stopped. The low growl halted. The leaves stilled. The hairs on the back of Claire's neck prickled.

"Don't anyone move.'' Owen.

They all froze.

From Claire's vantage point she saw Owen clearly. Their eyes met. Once he was certain he had her full attention, he lifted his gaze to a spot in the trees willing her to do the same. A cry leapt to her throat, but she bit it back. Staring at them, partially hidden by the treetops, was a dinosaur. And it was not happy to see them.

Owen communicated in silence. Claire understood. They stood still. Luckily the kids had the sense and nerves to do the same. Owen locked eyes with the beast. Like sharks, most carnivorous dinosaurs liked to catch their prey off-guard. The longer Owen held its gaze the longer it would hold off from eating them. . . At least that was their hope.

Claire moved as slowly as possible until she was facing Maisie and Gray. Zach saw her too, although he was closer to Owen than his brother and cousin. "Stay calm,'' mouthed Claire. "It's alright.'' The first part was probably unnecessary. All three kids had been exposed to terrifying situations like this. They were all calm and ready to take any instructions the adults gave them. And ready to run like hell if necessary.

Wishing she had something more reassuring to tell her daughter and nephews, Claire glance helplessly back at Owen. He was still staring at the dinosaur, who was still staring back. Claire was not sure how long they would remain like that. It couldn't be too long. They would have to act soon and they'd have to act fast. But what would they do? Claire's hands were growing clammy. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Then Owen moved. Slowly. Impossibly slowly. Still keeping eye-contact with the dinosaur, he reached into his jean pocket. He carefully pulled something out. It was small, easily held between to fingers. It was Blue's clicker, Claire realized. Owen started moving his fingers in a slight, but quick movement. The clicks, though not loud, reverberated thought the entire clearing. The dinosaur's eyes narrowed. Owen kept clicking. Claire held her breath. Come on, Blue!

The dinosaurs suddenly burst through the trees it was partially covered by. The Gradys and Mitchell boys all jumped back in surprise. Maisie screamed.

"Scatter!'' Owen yelled.

They all broke off running in different directions. The beast roared, making Claire's eardrums grind painfully. It jumped into the clearing hissing and spitting.

"Okay, stop!''

Claire skidded to a stop. Everyone else also stopped. The five of them now stood at different points of the clearing, like a star. The dinosaur was in the middle. It was one of those freakish hybrids Wu helped make. The ones that were nearly all auctioned off at Lockwood Manor before they broke away. This one looked something like a spinosaurus, and even a bit like the Indoraptor. It was tall and had a crest running down it's back, but not like the one of a fullblood spinosaurus. It was a menacing black.

Owen started clicking again. His face was hardset. The dinosaur was confused by the change of positions. But when the clicking started, it turned to Owen again. It growled and moved towards him. Owen kept on clicking. Claire started to panic. She caught her husband's eye, "stop,'' she mouthed. He shook his head. And kept clicking.

The dinosaur was closing in on Owen. Blue was not coming. Claire started yelling, followed by Maisie and the boys, desperately trying to divert the beast's attention from Owen. It was no use.

With a roar, the hybrid charged. Owen threw himself out of the way, but the end of its tail caught him in the chest, forcing him hard into a tree. He fell to the ground, winded. Claire screamed. The dinosaur snapped its jaws. Owen narrowly missed decapitation by rolling to one side. He stumbled to his feet, trying to catch his breath.

Claire started sobbing. After all the shit they'd been through, this was not the way Owen Grady was going to die. She started running as fast as she could to where he was doubled-over with death literally looming right above him waiting to take the killing blow. Claire knew she wasn't going to make it. She was still halfway across the clearing. Zach saw what she was attempting to do. He saw it wouldn't work. He was still the closest. Only a couple yards away. He could make it.

Claire staggered to a stop. Gray cried, "No!'' Zach was sprinting towards Owen. He slammed into him as hard as he could, causing both their bodies to crash into the dirt. Just in time too; the dinosaur's long claws missed his throat by just a hairsbreadth.

Gasping, struggling to breathe from adrenaline and fear, Owen and Zach clambered around, trying to stand. The enraged dinosaur took this moment of confusion to strike. It snapped it's jaws clamping down on Zach's left foreleg. There was an audible snap. Zach gave a brief cry of shock and pain before he was dragged off the ground. Gray was yelling, Maisie was crying, Owen was still disoriented, and Claire helplessly watched the scene play out before her. The hybrid held Zach in the air by his broken leg. It shook him roughly several times before tossing him to the ground.

The dinosaur started closing in on him.

Zach didn't get up.


	11. Chapter 11

"Blue! Drop it! Drop it, I said!''

The baby velociraptor blinked owlishly at him before speeding off in a different direction.

"Blue!" Owen cracked his knuckles in frustration. "Little bitch.'' Blue was usually the best behaved of her wild crew. Delta, Charlie, and Echo were normally the ones who acted up. But no one was perfect, and, Owen remembered, Blue was just a baby.

He crouched down, resolving to kindness. He extended his hand towards Blue, palm open. He did not speak, but stared intensely at the raptor. Blue quickly lost interest in her game once Owen stopped reacting. If a dinosaur could sulk, Blue did it. She sulked on over to Owen and dropped the clicker into his outstretched palm.

Owen smiled in spite of himself. "Good girl. Good Blue.''

Blue trilled and blinked hard again.

Owen pocketed the clicker. He scooped the creature up in his arms. Blue was still quite small, about the size of a chicken. He had only been working with the raptors a couple weeks. Already, Blue seemed to be the natural leader of the group. A little more training and she would make a good Beta, Owen knew.

Blue purred, burying her head in his chest. Owen pulled her back and held her eye-level to him. "Look,'' he explained gently, "if this is going to work, then I need to be able to trust you. I need to be able to call to you at anytime and know that you will be at my side as soon as you possibly can. And I cannot call you without the clicker. Do you understand, Blue?''

Big yellow eyes said yes.

"Alright, then.'' Owen set Blue back down on the ground. He gestured for her to distance herself. Once she had, he drew the clicker out of his pocket. "Let's try this again girl.''

This time, Blue was there within moments of the call.

JWJWJWJWJWJW

Owen was dimly aware of screaming. Yes, screaming. Coming from all around him. He could detect Maisie's shrieking sobs, Gray's hoarse yells, and Claire's anguished cries. And someone else, too — Zach. Zach was not screaming though. It was just a quick noise, but Owen could tell even in his disoriented state that it was greatly pained. Something. . . something had happened to Zach. Owen tried to remember. He tried to focus. Where was he? His eyes wouldn't open. What was happening? He started to panic.

Then his eyes snapped open and he shot up into a sitting position. There was a spinosaurus right in front of him. It turned to face him when it heard his movement. At the dinosaur's feet was Zach, lying motionless in a crumpled heap. Claire, Gray, and Maisie were huddled close by, looks of terror on each face. Everything snapped into place in Owen's head. Zach had saved his life. Assuming the monster had attacked the boy directly after, Owen felt rage bubbling within him.

The spinosaurus hybrid moved closer towards Owen. But it was distracted by a disturbance in the surrounding shrubbery. It narrowed its eyes and sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring. Something burst suddenly into view, making everyone jump. The spinosaurus gave an almighty roar. Blue shrieked back.

Owen smiled, in spite of himself. She came. Of course she did.

The much larger dinosaur swiped a great paw at her, but Blue easily dodged it. She lunged forward, raking her sharp claws against the spinosaurus's chest and belly. He growled, though more in frustration than pain. He snapped his jaws at Blue, missing less narrowly this time. But Blue was ready. As his jaw came closer, she lunged up and scratched for his eyes. She cut a jagged scar just a centimeter below the spinosaurus's eyeball. He bellowed this time. Blue hissed and struck again. The larger dinosaur shook her off, before glancing at the humans one last time, and lumbering off in the opposite direction. Blue raced after him in hot pursuit.

Owen watched them vanish out of the clearing, his mouth hanging open. He was shocked at Blue's bravery. Well, maybe not shocked. He had trained her, after all. It was more the loyalty that awed Owen. Blue, a mother, had risked her life to come to his rescue. She had chased the spinosaurus off in a short, seemingly easy battle. They would probably all be dead without her. . .

Rubbing his sore head, Owen staggered to his feet. Claire, Gray, and Maisie had yet to move. They were in shock, he knew. He glanced at his wife to let her know he was alright. Miraculously, they had all avoided serious injury.

Oh.

Wait.

Owen's gaze fell on Zach. Sudden fear clutched his heart. Oh God, the kid still hadn't moved. Shit. Owen took a step towards his limp body. "Zach? You good, man?'' Stupid question, Owen realized. He's obviously not good.

"Zach?'' Gray called uncertainly. "Zach?" His voice broke. He dashed to his brother's side. Dropping to his knees, he started shaking him, crying desperately, "Zach, Zach, please wake up!"

Crossing the distance in several strides, Owen was there. He drug Gray off Zach, passing the frantic boy to Claire, who had also hastened over. Her eyes were filled with anguish, as were Maisie's. Gray collapsed into Claire's arms, shaking. Owen saw Maisie lace her fingers with his. Gray gripped her hand like it was his saving grace.

Owen crouched down at Zach's side. He was lying almost face-down in the dirt. Owen gently rolled him over. His hands shaking unusually, Owen reached for his wrist. A moment later he let out the breath he had been holding. Zach still had a steady pulse. Owen quickly shook away the irrational fear that the older Mitchell boy was dead. He looked over his shoulder at Gray. "He'll be alright.''

Gray nodded, but continued trembling. Claire seemed to relax a little. She pulled Maisie closer to her and held both children tightly. But Maisie was watching Owen intently. She caught Owen's eye, then nodded towards where Blue and the spinosaurus had disappeared. Owen understood; Blue was still out there. But for now he had to trust her abilities. He drew his attention back to Zach.

Zach's face was pale. His lip was bruised and swollen. He had a cut above his right eyebrow. His shirt was torn and his arms had a few scratches from being tossed on the forest floor. Other than those minor injuries, his upper-half appeared to have avoiding major injury. But Owen frowned as his eyes came to rest on Zach's left foreleg. It was bent in an unnatural angle, the bone obvious broken. Blood pooled around it. Long, rounded cuts were marked on either side of his leg. The amount of blood seeping out of each was concerning Owen, especially since there were several. Owen couldn't get a good look at the cuts with the blood and he did not have anything to clean them with anyway, so his first move was to stop the bleeding.

Zach stirred, his held tilting to one side. He groaned and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He automatically reached down to his wounded leg, but Owen gently pushed it back. This somehow alarmed Zach. He tried to tug away and climb to his feet before Owen could stop him. But his leg was unable to carry his weight so he collapsed back to the ground with a cry. He curled himself up, covering his head with his arms.

"Hey, hey, buddy, take it easy,'' Owen soothed. "You're safe now. It's not coming back. I'm not gonna let anything hurt you now, okay? Just calm down; I'm trying to help you.''

Zach was taking quick, shallow breaths. He didn't move. Claire came up behind Owen. She knelt on the other side of Zach. She gripped his bicep, securely but not hard enough to cause him any further pain. "Come on, Zach. Relax. Breathe deeply.'' She gave him a moment to follow her order before continuing. "Owen's going to help you, but you need to roll onto your back. Can you do that for me?'' When Zach didn't respond, Claire gently pulled his arms away from his head. He lifted his tear-stained face to gaze pleadingly at her. Owen saw Claire choke up, but she forced a smile and helped him onto his back, keeping hold on his hand. Owen nodded a silent thanks to her.

"Gray, Maisie, come here,'' he ordered.

The two kids had been cowering a little way back the entire time. They now hastened to Owen. When they saw the extent of Zach's leg injury, Gray blanched and Maisie covered her mouth as if she were about to vomit.

"Maisie take his other hand,'' directed Owen. "Gray hold him down.'' Owen stripped his t-shirt off and began tearing it into smaller strips. He repositioned Zach's leg so it was straighter but did not set it quite yet. Zach struggled and tried to get away, but Gray held him in place. Owen began wrapping the strips of his shirt tightly around the open wounds. Zach whimpered. Owen hated the amount of pain he was causing the poor kid. It was unavoidable though.

The initial first-aid finished, Owen sat back on his heels. He had a decision to make. Should he risk taking Zach to the hospital? He needed to go. But then he would have to answer questions about what happened. He couldn't tell the staff the truth, but they wouldn't believe some made up story. Even if Owen said the spinosaurus hybrid ran off on its own, that wasn't plausible. A dinosaur that vicious would never just run off when it could have devoured several servings of fresh meat. Owen knew he couldn't say anything about Blue. That would get her and her babies all killed and him himself probably arrested for keeping her hidden from the government. Well. Owen had been in the navy for years. He did know how to set broken bones and give stitches. But if Zach's leg got infected —which there was a high chance of since his leg had been inside a wild animals mouth— Owen was not sure what he would do. He could not treat a serious infection. If the infection festered without treatment Zach could lose his leg and if it spread he could lose his life. Owen finally decided that he would not take Zach to the hospital. But if an infection developed, he would have no choice.

Owen ran his hands through his hair. He quickly explained the hospital situation. Gray and Maisie quickly agreed. Claire looked doubtful. "We'll talk more later,'' he promised. "Right now, we need to get Zach back to the cabin.'' He and Gray slowly pulled Zach to his feet. Zach stuttered and gasped for a moment, before releasing all contents of his stomach onto the forest floor. Dizzy from pain and vomiting, Zach slumped against Owen. Owen murmured words of comfort and slipped an arm around Zach's waist, pulling the boy's arm around his shoulders so Owen was taking most of his weight. Gray mirrored Owen on Zach's other side.

The walk back to the cabin was a long one. Zach was not able to put any weight on his broken leg so he was forced to limp along with Gray and Owen. Claire and Maisie trailed closely behind. Eventually, Zach fainted from pain and Owen, who had had enough of the slow limping process anyway, scooped him up and carried him the rest of the way.

Once they arrived back to the cabin, Maisie and Gray sprung to get hot water and towels and blankets and whatever else Owen required. Claire helped Owen lay Zach on couch, and carefully stripped him down to his boxer shorts. Owen unbound the strips of t-shirt. He soaked a towel in the hot water and then properly cleaned Zach's wound. Claire also bathed his face and the minor cuts on his arms and face. Owen stitched up the worst of the bite wounds, then set and began and splinting the broken bone. Owen silently thanked God Zach was unconscious during this; setting bones hurt like bitch. He wrapped the leg up in clean bandages, using the proper figure-of-eight pattern.

While Owen went to get himself a new shirt, Claire tucked Zach in with blankets and a pillow. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she turned to Maisie, who was standing close by Gray. "Why don't you get showered and change? Dinner will be ready whenever you're done.''

"I'm not hungry,'' she muttered, but obeyed her mother.

Once Maisie had gone, Claire turned to Gray. "Are you alright?''

Gray nodded, but didn't take his eyes off his older brother. Claire didn't say anything else but held Gray tightly until Owen came back. Gray wiped his tears quickly, and went to get changed. Owen watched him go. "He alright?''

Claire shrugged. "We're all shaken. Should I make dinner?''

Owen knew she and he were going to have a long talk sometime sooner than later, but now was not the time. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Yes, babe. Dinner sounds great.''

No one was very hungry, but they all ate. They had been gone all afternoon. Their initial purpose to check on the raptors had been greatly derailed. Owen reassured Maisie that Blue would be fine. Her babies were close with her, he was sure. But worry was buried deep in his gut.

Zach woke briefly right around eight o'clock. He was dazed and feverish, which concerned Owen more than he let on. The first signs of infection were upon them. They forced some water and Tylenol down Zach's throat before he fell back into the void of unconsciousness.

That night Claire and Owen agreed to take turns watching Zach for two hour shifts. Gray and Maisie both wanted to help, but the adults shook their heads. If things turned nasty, the kids would not know what to do and it could all go downhill very quickly.

Owen was exhausted, but he saw his wife was as well so he volunteered to take first shift. He stared out the window into the dark forest, lost in thought. He couldn't help thinking this was somehow his fault. I shouldn't have taken the family with me to check on the raptors. But reason told Owen he had no way of knowing what was to happen. Which lead to another problem: where had the spinosaurus hybrid even come from? There had never been any signs of its whereabouts until it attacked them that afternoon. Owen hoped it was just passing through and Blue had chased it away for good.

Zach gripped his blanket suddenly, his face contorting in pain. Owen slipped his hand around Zach's wrist which lead Zach to automatically take hold of his hand as Owen had intended. Owen felt Zach's grip eventually loosen as the spasm passed. The former instantaneously felt tears brim in his eyes. Zach let go of Owen's hand, but Owen didn't let go of Zach's. "I'm so sorry, Zach,'' he whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

"Owen! Owen, wake up!"

Owen stirred. He cracked his eyes open. Claire was hovering above him, her face etched with worry. "What's wrong?" He murmured sleepily.

"It's Zach,'' Claire whispered.

Owen was suddenly very awake. He sat up and threw the blankets off him. "What happened?" He started towards the door.

Claire grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Shh, we can't wake Gray and Maisie."

"Okay, okay. What's wrong with Zach?''

"More like what's not wrong with him,'' said Claire quietly.

"That's not a straight answer.''

"I got up to check on him. He's shaking and shivering and burning up, all at the same time! I think something's wrong, Owen. We need to take him to a hospital.''

Rubbing his eyes, Owen sighed. "We really can't do that, Claire, and you know it.''

"But we have to!''

"Hey, listen,'' said Owen in a surrendering voice, "just let me go check on him, okay? It may not be as bad as it seems.''

Claire seemed unconvinced, but followed her husband out into the living room. They had left a dim lamp on to illuminate the dark room. Owen went straight over to the couch Zach was curled up on. He knelt down beside the boy. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that Claire was right on every aspect. Zach's face appeared drained of all color. His damp hair stuck to his forehead. He was unconscious but his face still bore an expression of discomfort. Owen wished he could take away some of his pain. Zach had pulled his blanket tightly around him and was shivering like he was freezing to death. Not only was the house relatively warm, but it was summer and Zach was under a heavy blanket. He should not have been cold. Owen placed a hand on Zach's forehead. He was burning up.

Uncertainty filled Owen. He agreed with Claire; Zach should be taken the hospital. And it was Owen's duty to make sure his nephew had the medical care he needed. It should have been an easy decision. But Owen felt there was too much at stake. The risks of taking Zach to the hospital were still to great. Not only was Owen concerned about the endangerment of Blue, but also the involvement of social workers. Owen and Claire were supposed to be taking care of the Mitchell boys. If they were under investigation they might also lose custody of Maisie. Owen had previously explained this to Claire. But apparently she thought it was more important that Zach was healthy. And she was absolutely right. On the other hand, Owen did have the authority of the final call. That was unless —

"Have you called Karen?''

"No. . ." Claire seemed reluctant to do so.

"You probably should, shouldn't you? She is Zach's mother, after all.''

Claire narrowed her eyes at her husband. "What are you trying to do?"

"Why can't you just call Karen?''

Claire bit her lip. "I could.''

"But?'' prompted Owen.

"Oh, stop,'' Claire snapped. "It's not that easy!'

"Because Karen doesn't give a shit about her kids.''

Claire looked at Owen long and hard before nodding.

"But see,'' Owen reasoned, "we do care about Zach and Gray. And they're in our care while your sister bangs her boyfriend in Europe. So we are the ones who can make the decisions regarding their health and such.''

When Claire didn't respond, Owen continued. "We could take Zach to the hospital like responsible adults, but I say it's not worth the risk. If things really turn sour than I promise we'll get him taken care of before he develops sepsis or anything life-threatening like that.

Claire still looked doubtful. Owen took her hands in his. "You're just going to have to trust me on this one, babe. Remember I spent years in the navy. I know what I'm doing.''

"Do you?''

"That's cold.'' Owen frowned, then broke into a smile. He sent Claire to get more bandages, septic, etc. While she sponged Zach's forehead with a cool wet washcloth, Owen gently unwrapped his bandaged foreleg. The stitches had not torn. That was good. Careful to not jar the broken bone, Owen gingerly felt the stitched up wounds. They were not warm to the touch. That was good. Neither were they great inflamed. Also good. The infection was not severe. It didn't seem to be anything Zach couldn't fight on his own. Owen dabbed the septic on on the wounds with a cotton ball before applying new bandages. He quietly informed Claire of the current condition of the boy.

Claire sighed in relief. "He'll be alright, then?''

"He should be. Like I said, if he takes a turn for the worse I'll make sure he gets to a hospital in time.''

Claire lay her head on Owen's shoulder. "What would we do without you?"

"Not be in this situation,'' said Owen.

Claire lifted her head so she was looking right at her husband. "Owen Grady, don't think for one moment that any of this is your fault.''

"It is though—"

"It's not.''

Owen decided there was no point in fighting. Instead he kissed Claire and told her to go back to bed.

"What about Zach?'' She retorted.

"You took the last shift, sleep in peace. I'll stay with him now.''

"All night?"

"All night.''

Claire was too exhausted to argue. She kissed Owen quickly, squeezed his shoulder, cast one last worried glance at her nephew, and went back to bed.

Owen turned back to Zach. He peeled the cloth from his forehead and brushed back his damp hair. Owen was relieved to discover the boy's fever had gone down. He would be alright.


	13. Chapter 13

The summer was coming to an end. Or at least it seemed that way. It was mid-August; the Mitchell boys had been staying with the Gradys for five weeks now. They seemed like part of the family already. The Gradys would be sorry to see them go for sure. How long it would be before they actually left though was still completely undetermined. Karen had not contacted them since she announced she would be staying in Europe for the foreseeable future. A small part of Owen hoped she would stay away forever. He loved Zach and Gray and knew they were happier with him and Claire than with their mother and her boyfriend. But Owen knew that the emotional damage the boys would suffer if Karen completely ditched them would be too great. They would have to go home eventually.

Mid-August usually does not seem like the end of summer. But that year had a particularly cold and rainy August. The Gradys/Mitchells didn't mind though. They spent the long days watching tv, playing games, eating popcorn, and just talking and laughing for hours on end. Those days were ones no one ever forgot.

On this particular day, the family was sitting on the floor in a collective circle. All but Maisie, who was lying on her stomach, her chin propped on her hands. Zach was sitting with his healing leg stretched out in front of him, his other leg tucked in. He was doing much better. His broken leg was healing well and the illness he had suffered with it had passed. Owen was extremely relieved at how well Zach had recovered. Owen had not allowed himself to let the kids know how worried he truly was.

Gray was currently trying to convince Owen and Claire to allow Maisie attend school in the fall.

"But Maisie likes being homeschooled!" Claire protested.

"Yes, but I don't have any friends,'' counter-argued Maisie.

"You've never had any friends,'' added Gray. "You need some social skills.''

Maisie stuck out her bottom lip, pretending to be offended. "You went to far there.''

"Play the victim,'' Gray mouthed.

Maisie turned to her mother. "Gray's right, Claire! I don't have any social skills! I can't got to college without knowing how to talk to people! How will I ever find a suitable husband?"

Owen snorted.

"We live in the middle of nowhere,'' continued Maisie, "it's not like there's a close-by homeschool group or co-op. The closest public school is like twenty minutes away—''

A knock sounded at the door. They all jumped at the sudden noise. Owen glanced at Claire. Who could ever be visiting? Zach, Gray, and Maisie were all exchanging nervous glances as well. Their minds all jumped to one conclusion: someone had found Blue on their property.

Another knock, this one sounded more impatient.

"Go on, then,'' Claire murmured to her husband.

Owen reluctantly got to his feet. He tried playing it cool, but his hands were shaking as he opened the door. A tall man in a black suit was standing with his arms crossed in the rain. He stepped indignantly in the cabin without an invitation. He began shaking the water off himself and onto the clean floor. The man had a long face with a large, round nose. He had a mop of graying brown hair that was tousled because of the heavy rainfall. He looked like a mad duck.

"Can I help you?'' Owen asked, annoyed by the man's disregard for common etiquette.

"Yes!" The man huffed. He held out a dripping hand. Owen shook it reluctantly. "I am Darren Avery. I work for the US military.''

Shit. Owen fought to keep his expression neutral. He nodded like this information meant nothing to him.

Avery looked disdainfully at the family on the living room floor. He turned back to Owen. "We need to speak privately.''

Owen shrugged. This was not looking good. He lead the man into his and Claire's bedroom. Owen sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his ankles. Avery said nothing, but Owen could feel his judgmental eye sweeping over his surroundings. Avery suddenly snapped his gaze back on Owen. "Do you know why I'm here, Mr Grady?''

Owen spread his palms in dignified innocence. "No clue.''

Avery narrowed his eyes. "Very well, Owen. Play your little games. We both know very well about your involvement with Jurassic World and the velociraptor beta Blue.''  
"I don't see why that matters now,'' said Owen indifferently. "That was years ago. My days of raptor training are long gone. As you can see I've settled down with a family.'' He gave a sappy smile. "I'm a changed man, Darren.''

"Bullshit.''

"Speaking of my family, I'm a bit preoccupied with them right now. If you have said your piece, I have to ask you to please leave my house.''

Avery leaned on the wall. "I'm not finished. Whether you'll admit it or not, you have a poor track record with following orders. Your precious little beast has been reeking havoc across the country. We've been commanded to find her and put an end to her mischief. Like it or not, you are going to help us.''

"You can't make me do anything.''

Avery smiled sickly. "The only thing you have to do it given us permission to thoroughly search your property.''

Owen stared at Avery. "Wh-why?''

"No one trusts you, Grady. The government believes you are hiding the velociraptor on your property. A crew is coming to find Blue tomorrow. They will kill her and you will be sent to prison.''

"Under what charge?'' Owen spat.

"Under the charge of hiding a fugitive and repetitively lying about it.''

"You have no evidence of either of those things.''

"Ah, but we will once we find that little monster.''

Owen lifted his head defiantly. "Search all you want; you'll never find her. She isn't here.''

Avery's face was suddenly very close to Owen's. "If I were you, I would keep that pretty mouth of yours shut. You're only digging the hole deeper for yourself. Admit to hiding her now and your sentence will be short. This is your last chance.''

Owen pushed his face forward so that their foreheads were almost touching. "Get out of my house.''

Avery straightened and sauntered out of the bedroom. Owen took a moment to collect himself before following the man out. Claire, Zach, Gray, and Maisie had not moved since the two men pardoned themselves. They now watched Owen step outside into the rain. He carefully watched Avery get into his black sports car and drive off, splashing through a puddle and soaking Owen.

"Yeah, screw you too,'' Owen muttered.

Claire greeted him inside the house with a dry towel. After drying his hair, Claire took Owen's face in her hands. "What happened, babe? Who was that?''

Owen put his hand on Claire's. "We need to talk.''

While Owen told his family what Avery had said, no one said anything. Even when he had finished, no one spoke. They didn't know what to say.

"You won't tell them where Blue is, will you?'' Maisie finally asked, her voice trembling.

"Of course not,'' answered Owen.

"Do you think they already know?"' Zach asked.

Owen shook his head. "Avery would have mentioned the babies. They have no evidence that she's actually here. Avery was clearly sent to try to scare me into giving up the truth without having people come to search the property. Even now, he might be bluffing. Maybe no one will show up tomorrow at all.''

"We should go check on Blue,'' said Maisie.

"We'll wait until it stops raining.''

But it rained the rest of the day. When it finally stopped, night had already fallen. Owen promised Maisie they would check on the raptors first thing tomorrow, rain or shine.

As he clambered into bed, Owen realized Claire had not said anything since he had told them about Avery. Even now, with just the two of them, she seemed reluctantly to talk.

"You have to promise me, Owen,'' she said eventually. "That if it comes down to protecting Blue and protecting our family, you will choose our family.''

"It won't come down to that,'' Owen insisted.

"You can't guarantee that,'' Claire whispered. "I know how much Blue means to you, to all of us. But she's still a wild animal. Her safety is not worth anyone getting hurt or you getting sent to prison.''

"I'm telling you, Claire, that won't happen.''

"How do you know?'' She snapped.

Owen sighed. "I'll make sure no one gets hurt.''

"Zach almost died!'' Claire's voice was strained. "Owen, I love you. And I love Blue and her babies. I want you to be happy, but I also want you to be safe. You are seriously endangering yourself, as well as your daughter and nephews. Tomorrow, if people do come to look for Blue, I want you to show them where she is and beg for forgiveness. Please, Owen.''

Owen opened his mouth, but could not form words. "Y-you really w-want me to do that?'' He finally managed. "After all we've been through, you want me to just give her up? She'll die, Claire! She and all her babies! They're innocent. They haven't hurt anyone.''

"Blue has killed people, Owen,'' said Claire dully.

"It's her instinct! She's just—''

"Exactly. She is a wild animal. She almost killed you, Owen. If you got between her and her babies, she would kill you. Would you kill her if she got between you and Maisie?''

"Yes,'' said Owen heavily.

"You getting sent to prison is along the same lines. Do you understand? Maisie has to grow up with a father.''  
"I understand,'' said Owen through gritted teeth.

Claire rolled over and fell asleep without saying anything else.

It took Owen a long time to fall asleep that night. Eventually the rain started again, softly pattering against the roof and windows. Owen sighed. Conflict rolled around his head like a bowling ball. He knew Claire was right. He could never, would never choose Blue over his family. But did that mean he had to give up Blue? Was there another way? Any other way at all? Dammit.


	14. Chapter 14

Maisie rested her forehead against the glass windowpane. Her previous anxieties had very quickly changed into a dark, empty void of depression as she stared out the window. God, being a pre-teen girl sucked. She'd felt just fine yesterday morning. But then yesterday afternoon a strange man had showed up at their front door and informed them the government was going to search their property. This had filled Maisie (and the rest of her family) with a great sense of anxiety. They were illegally hiding five velociraptors in their backyard, practically. Maisie was not sure what the consequences would be if the raptors were found, but she had heard her parents discuss it long into yesterday's night.

Things were not better today. Early that morning, large trucks full of Rangers had pulled into the Gradys' driveway. Years ago, when the dinosaurs had first escaped into the wild of America, the military had started a new branch: Rangers. They had originally made a special request for Owen, but he had turned them down for a quiet life with his wife and daughter. Rangers were basically scouts that specialized in tracking dinosaurs. They were not often called, only when a dinosaur was suspected in an area.

There must have been twenty Rangers at the Gradys' cabin. They didn't seem to be doing all that much. Mostly walking around with big guns and looking cool. Owen said that's all they did anyway. But Maisie was not comforted. Although, she had not even heard of them until that morning, Maisie had already gathered that Rangers were an elite force. And Blue and her babies were rather vulnerable at the moment with the babies being so young. Maisie knew it was only a matter of time before the Rangers found the raptors, killed them, and then severely punished Owen in ways Maisie did not want to think about. The thought made her very depressed. She had been watching the Rangers all morning from the window. A steady rain was falling, but the Rangers didn't seem to care. The stormy weather was affecting Maisie though. She didn't feel like she would ever be happy again.

"Maisie, come away from there,'' Owen called.

Maisie snapped out of her deep thoughts. She quickly wiped her eyes and cheeks.

"Maisie,'' Owen called again, "come here a minute. I need you to do something for me.''

Maisie came more eagerly now. She needed something to do. Something to keep her mind off the Rangers and the raptors.

Owen was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. Gray was there too. Maisie hadn't been paying much attention to her family, so she had no idea where her mom and Zach were. It didn't seem important at the moment.

"Okay.'' Owen ran a hand through his hair. He seemed nervous.

"What's up?'' Maisie tried keeping her voice light and positive.

Gray was not much more optimistic. He looked rather depressed as well. Maisie supposed they all were.

"I haven't heard anything yet,'' began Owen, "so I don't think anyone has found Blue. As of now, we're good. But the Rangers will venture into the forest soon enough. We need to make sure Blue and her babies are still at their nest. Remember that the Rangers are only looking for Blue. As of now, we five are the only people even aware of the babies' existence. We need to keep it that way." Owen paused. Maisie could tell the next part was hard for him say. "Even if the Rangers find Blue, we can't let them find her babies. They have no lead, so it will be fairly easy on our part. I need you two to go to the nest without arousing too much suspicion. Make sure the babies are well hidden. Blue probably knows something's up. She's smart. Most likely, she already has them hidden. Just make sure, then come straight home.''

Maisie and Gray exchanged a surprised glance. Owen was trusting them with a huge task. Maisie knew Owen could not go himself; he would be followed for sure.

"Do you understand?" Owen asked.

Gray nodded. "We subtly go to the nest, check on the raptors, then come back as quickly as possible.''

"Exactly. You got that, Maisie?''

"Does Claire know?''

Owen pursed his lips. "No. That's another reason you need to hurry. This needs to be our little secret. I would send Zach with you, but seeing as he can't walk. . . I believe you two can handle it by yourselves.''

Maisie nodded, her jaw tight. "We won't let you down.''

A smile tugged at the corners of Owen's mouth. "Oh, I know you won't.''

Maisie and Gray swiftly pulled on their boots and jackets. Owen hurried them out the door before they could even say goodbye to him. A few Rangers glances their way, but seemed unconcern by the new presence. Maisie and Gray were only children, after all. They didn't appear to be any sort of threat. Maisie and Gray were painfully aware of the eyes cast upon pulled their hoods up around their faces, trying to block as much rain as they could out, as well as hide their faces. Not that it mattered. They still got wet and they still got seen by the Rangers.

The dirt floor of the forest had turned into a thick blanket of mud. It squelched beneath Maisie's boots. The sound put her on edge. She noticed Gray seems equally uncomfortable. Other than the mud, and the soft din of rain, the forest was silent. It was as if even nature knew something was amiss. Maisie hated it. She kept glancing over her shoulder, but she could neither see not hear anyone following behind them. She decided they were safe, but the silence was still killing her.

"How are you?''

Maisie's head turned to Gray in surprise. "Oh, uh, I'm fine.''

Gray's brows lifted in doubt. "Are you sure?''

"No. I'm not sure about anything anymore.''

Gray nodded sympathetically. "I get ya.''

"How are you holding up?'' Maisie asked.

"I'm scared,'' said Gray honestly. "I don't know what's going to happen and that unsettles me.''

Maisie could relate. "We haven't talked much recently.''

Gray smiled sadly. "Yeah, I've missed you.''

She had missed him too. A lot, actually. He had easily become the best friend she'd ever had. Well, Maisie had not ever had a lot of friends. Unless you count Iris, she had never had a real friend. Her cousins were the closest people to her, other than her parents, even in the short time they'd been together. But both Gray and Maisie had been distracted the last couple weeks between everyone finding out about Blue and Zach's injury. It was great to talk to him again. Their conversation was as fluid as water. They talked about their relief that Zach had not, well, died, and they talked about what would happen if the Rangers found Blue. Gray knew no more than Maisie about the latter, so their conversation moved onto the future. What they would do later, after the Mitchell boys left.

"I asked Zach when we would leave this morning,'' Gray told Maisie. "Not that I want to leave, but I was just curious. I mean, we've been here over a month already. We hate to have imposed.''

"You didn't,'' Maisie assured him. "You and Zach have been the best thing that's ever happened to this family.''

Gray smiled, but Maisie could see past it. She could see the tears pricking his eyes. "Well,'' he laughed, without humor, "I'm glad you think so. Because Zach said Mom's barely been in contact since leaving.'' His throat constricted with a held back sob. "I don't think she's even in Europe anymore. I think she came home awhile ago, but wants to see how long she can dump us before we get kicked out.''

Maisie stopped. She rested a hand on Gray's shoulder. "We'd _never_ kick you guys out. You know that.''

Gray laughed again, this one being even more forced than the first. "My mom's a cold-hearted bitch. The thought that anyone could ever want us for more than a month is unconceivable for her.''

Maisie wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she just wrapped her arms around Gray's neck and held him tightly. He held her back. She felt him shaking with silent sobs. Several tears slid down her own face, but they were from pity, not pain. She couldn't imagine the anguish Gray and Zach must be feeling. It made her want to scream at the unfair world.

Eventually, Gray pulled out of the embrace, but he still held Maisie at arms-length. His eyes were red and his face was wet with tears and rain. He did not force another smile or laugh. Maisie reached out and pushed his damp hair back under his hood. They stared intently at one another. Maisie realized for the first time that Gray's blue eyes had flecks of green in them. His lips were suddenly touching her forehead. She felt a shock like electricity jolt through her. Gray drew back. "Is this wrong? Since we're, like, cousins?''

Maisie shrugged. "Ask Zach. If he's seen _Fifty Shades,_ he's seen _Game of Thrones._ ''

This earned a genuine laugh from Gray.

"We're not blood-relatives,'' said Maisie in all seriousness. "So it's not _technically_ incest.''

"Not technically.'' Gray held her gaze for several seconds longer, before turning and resuming walking.

They did not speak again until they reached the clearing. It was empty. Fear clutched at Maisie's heart. "You don't think. . .?''

"No,'' said Gray firmly. "Blue!'' He called softly.

There was a rustle in the bushes. Blue poked her head out. Relief rushed through Maisie. Blue leapt out and trotted up to greet her. Maisie stroked her snout affectionately. Something bumped her leg. She looked down. Adaela was blinking up at her. Maisie scooped her up and hugged her until she began to squirm. Then Maisie set Adaela down and greeted Scarlett, Winky, and Max.

"They're grown,'' Gray commented, crouching down. Winky jumped into his lap.

It was true. The raptor babies had grown. Maisie wished she could stay with them all day, but after a few minutes she straightens from her crouched position. She began stroking Blue again. "You take care of yourself, okay? Bad men are looking for you. They want to hurt you. If they find your babies, then they'll hurt you too.'' Maisie doubted Blue truly understood her words, but the velociraptor seemed to blink comprehensively.

"We should get going. We've already been gone too long.''

Gray agreed, setting Winky down.

Maisie gazed around reluctantly. "I'll come to see you guys again soon,'' she promised. She felt Gray lace his fingers with hers. She forced herself to turn away and start home.

The rain was beating down savagely, by the time Maisie and Gray reached the cabin. The Rangers' trucks were gone. They had apparently given up for the day. But Maisie knew they would be back the next day.

"Where have you been?'' Claire demanded as soon as their sopping wet forms stepped into the cabin. Before either of them could answer, Claire had them tightly wrapped in warm towels. She seated them at the kitchen table and began serving hot chocolate.

"Well?'' Zach asked, who was already at the table. "Are they okay?''

"They?'' Maisie asked faintly.

"They,'' confirmed Claire, sitting down. "Assuming Owen sent you two children to check on the raptors?''

"Uhh,'' Gray shot Maisie a panicked glance.

"Lying won't do you any good,'' said Claire, sipping hot chocolate through pursed lips. "Owen already told us where you were.''

"Where is he?'' Maisie asked, still trying to avoid the topic.

"I sent him to his room.'' Claire was not joking.  
"The raptors are fine,'' said Maisie. "They hid in the bushes when they heard us approaching and didn't come out until they heard my voice.''

Claire nodded approvingly. "They have survivor's instincts, thank God.''

Gray shivered.

"You should go get dry,'' said Zach gently.

"Now you both go take warm showers and change into dry clothes,'' Claire instructed. "You can report to Owen afterwards.''

Maisie and Gray downed the last of their hot chocolate. Then they got up to follow Claire's orders. As she climbed the ladder to her loft, she glanced back down at Gray who was on his way to the bathroom to shower. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Gray's flitted away self-consciously. Maisie felt the same electricity she had earlier. A smile played at her lips as she climbed the last couple rungs.

_He's your cousin,_ a small voice in her head insisted.

"Oh, shut up,'' she muttered. "I'm adopted.''


	15. Chapter 15

On the seventh day, the day marking the first week, Claire was unable to stay still. There had been Rangers wandering around their property for a whole week now. She supposed that was a good thing; they had not found the velociraptors yet. But she worried the longer they were there, the closer they got to finding Blue and her babies. To her dismay, Owen had agreed.

Claire lay on her bead, staring up at the slowly rotating ceiling fan. It was immature, she knew. _Just like an angsty teenager._ But she couldn't find motivation anywhere. She felt a great pressure. Claire felt like it was her job and hers alone to keep the family safe and happy. As of now, they were all safe (although Claire doubted that would be for long). But no one was happy. She herself was not happy. _For a family who's been almost killed by dinosaurs on multiple occasion, we really should not be this attached,_ she thought bitterly.

Every single Grady/Mitchell boy was terrified. None of them knew what was going to happen. Would the Rangers fine Blue or not? Would they ever give up or keep looking until they find her? How long would that be? Claire had realized awhile ago that some of the family members were more open about their fears than others. But whether they admitted it or not, everyone was freaking terrified.

Gray and Maisie had been the last one to see the raptors. Their report had been good: the raptors were safe and well-hidden. But no one had been able to get out and see them since the two youngest members had gone the first day after the Rangers' arrival. Owen said it would "be too risky" and "going the same exact place twice will arose suspicion". Claire trusted her husband. He was right. She knew as much as he cared about Blue, he would put his family first. Owen was honestly just as scared as anyone about their raptor friends. But he was the aforementioned unwilling-to-share-his-feelings family member. Still, he was Claire's husband and she knew him better than anyone. She wasn't going to force Owen to talk about his feelings. She didn't need to.

Maisie, who had been visiting Blue and her babies almost daily all summer, was also taking the hit particularly hard. She was bored and had taken to staring dismally out the window for sustained periods of time. Owen and Claire had both tried breaking through to her, but she kept insisting she was fine. Of course she was't. None of them really were. Her cousins seemed to be the only ones that could cheer her up. They entertained her with funny stories about awkward school mishaps:

_"School sounds lovely,'' Maisie said, her voice laced with her slight British accent._

_"Oh, it sucks,'' Gray assured her. "A real shithole.''_

_"High-school isn't quite as bad as middle-school,'' added Zach._

_Maisie frowned playfully. "But_ I'm _in middle-school.''_

 _"Well._ I'm _going to be in high-school,'' said Gray smugly._

_"But I won't be in high-school for another couple years!''_

_"Sucks to be you, I guess,'' said Gray with a shrug._

_Maisie stuck her tongue out._

Claire sighed, pulling herself up. She looked down at the scar on her leg from the Indoraptor. She thought about the scars Zach would have for the rest of his life on his left leg. He was almost healed. He had completely recovered from his illness (and the weird one he'd had before he got attacked by a spinosaurus hybrid). Zach was still on crutches as his leg was not quite healed, but Owen assured Claire that bones just took awhile to pull back together after broken. The analogy he had used Claire still thought about: "It's just like how we were after the Park incidents; broken. But after some time we began to heal. We eventually pulled ourselves together enough to carry on, but we will never be the same as before. We were left with scars.''

Claire rested her head on her knees. It hurt her that mere children had been through what the Mitchell boys and Maisie had been through. Zach was almost an adult, but to Claire he would always be the wisp of a baby she has first held in her arms all those years ago. It occurred to Claire that she had become more of a mother to her nephews than Karen had ever been. _So be it,_ she thought resolutely. _And I will protect them from now on, no matter what._

 


	16. Chapter 16

It had stopped raining. The clouds were light gray, blocking out the sun, but still a welcome sight. Owen was on edge. Eleven days before, Maisie and Gray had seen the velociraptor family. They had nothing extreme to report. Owen had even found temporary relief. But the rangers were still there. Owen doubted they would go back to wherever they were based empty-handed. It was only a matter of time.

And it was on that very day, twelve days after the rangers had first come, that a raptor was spotted.

The first outcry made everyone freeze. The Gradys/Mitchells had been going about their individual business in their cabin. The rangers had always stayed fairly quiet, so when a great commotion suddenly started, everyone knew something had happened. But it wasn't until a Ranger yelled "there it is!'', that the family froze, knowing exactly what had just happened.

Maisie raced to the window. Owen came up behind her. Every Ranger had their gun drawn. Four of them were tramping through the brush on the edge of the forest. The others had formed a half-circle around that spot. They had obviously seen something.

A feeling of sick dread settled in the pit of Owen's stomach. What had a raptor been doing so close to the cabin? Unless it was not a raptor and it had been a raccoon or something. But Owen doubted it. The rangers were trained professionals. They wouldn't likely call a false-alarm.

Owen's eyes swept over the edge of the forest. There! Owen's heart lurched. A speckled black tail disappeared into the heather about eight yards from where the rangers were. Owen felt Maisie tense in front of him. He put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Did you see that?'' He asked her quietly, willing her to remain calm.

Maisie nodded. There were tears in her eyes. "That was Adaela. S-she came to see me.''

Owen silently agreed. Adaela must have escaped from Blue. He turned around, his grip tightening on Maisie's shoulder, steering his daughter away from the window. Claire was inches from them, her lips drawn in a tight white line. Zach and Gray had not moved from their original spots, but were glancing nervously from each other to the window.

"What are we going to do?'' Claire almost whispered.

"Now? Nothing,'' Owen sighed. "We wait.''

"But Owen—''

"What do you want me to do?'' Owen demanded, spreading his hands. "If we try to follow Adaela back to Blue, than we'll give away their position for sure. We're gonna have to just wait. There is _literally_ no other option. If they get Adaela or Blue or any other raptor, we'll be the first to know. Trust me.''

"You'll go to jail,'' said Maisie, panic creeping into her tone. "They're going to come and arrest you and—"

"Until they catch Blue, they don't have proof,'' Owen interrupted, "it's my word against theirs. Besides, they saw Adaela. I can just lie and say I've never seen her before and I had no idea Blue had babies. Saying I had no idea Blue was on my property would be a stretch, but lying about the babies would be doable.''

Owen could tell Claire was not satisfied with that answer, but she went back to what she had been previously doing. Everyone did. Owen found himself flipping mindlessly through his phone. He blocked out all his thoughts, pushed them away. But the sick feeling in his stomach never went away. He felt like a loaded gun; ready to shoot at any second; dangerous. The anticipation was worse than what the actual Ranger would say, Owen tried telling himself.

Almost three hours later, a knock sounded at the door. Nobody froze this time. They acted like nothing had happened. They kept their eyes down. Owen briefly prepared himself for the worst and answered the door.

A preppy Ranger with gelled hair stood expectantly on the porch.

"Can I help you?'' Owen forced his voice to sound bored and monotoned.

"You're Mr Owen Grady, I presume?''

"I sure am, asshole.''

The ranger acted as if he had not heard the last part. "I am Ranger Timothy Haze and I have been sent to report to you that we have decided to imply a curfew from eight PM to seven AM until further notice.''

Owen's brows shot up. 7:00am to 8:00pm were the rangers' work hours. "May I ask why that is necessary?"

"We believe Blue has been spotted.''

_Well shit._

"Okay,'' said Owen slowly, as if he was trying to process this. "Are you sure? She's never been around here before. . ."

"So you've said,'' said the preppy Ranger coolly. Owen suddenly had a strong dislike for him.

"And so I'm saying again.'' Owen began closing the door, but Haze stopped him.

"We're posting guards at your door,'' the ranger added. "Just to make sure you're following the rules.''

Owen forced the door shut. "God _dammit_ ,'' he hissed.

"Now what?'' Maisie cried. Everyone was watching Owen.

He sighed heavily. "Let me think.'' He collapsed on the couch, dropping his head into his hands. Owen had no clue what to do. He was completely out of ideas. Nothing. A part of him just wanted to give up and do whatever the rangers said. He wanted to wait in peace for the raptors to be caught and killed. He wanted to spend the last couple days before his arrest with his family. But that was just it. Owen's family meant the world to him. He knew if he just gave up after everything, he would be letting them all down. Maybe that was it. Maybe instead of doing everything by himself like usual, he should let his family help. They wanted to. They were all smart, resourceful, and experienced. Owen scrubbed his eyes and lifted his head. He was not surprised to see Claire, Maisie, Zach, and Gray sitting on the floor in front of him.

"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it,'' Zach offered,

"We'll do it,'' echoed Gray.

"Well, actually,'' Owen cleared his throat. "I was wondering if any of you have ideas. I'm all out.''

Maisie's brows instantly drew together, already deep in thought. But she seemed to be struggling as much as Owen.

"Would it be possible,'' Zach began slowly, "to bring at least the baby raptors into the house?''

Owen looked at Claire. She shrugged. "We could try.''  
"We could escape the curfew,'' said Gray. "And then hide the babies in the loft or something. The rangers wouldn't think to look inside, now would they?"

"If we successfully did it, it would only work for a little while,'' Owen said reluctantly. "Never long-term. Especially if the rangers never found the velociraptors than we have no way of knowing how long they will be here. The babes are growing very quickly.''

"We could call Franklin and Liz,'' suggester Claire suddenly. "They could take them somewhere. They know lots of people who live far out who would be honored to care for four velociraptors.''

"That could work,'' said Maisie, growing excited. "Blue can keep herself hidden. We just need to get the babies away.''

"Okay.'' Owen realized it was the best possible option. "It's worth a shot.''

"When do we start?'' Zach asked.

"Right now.'' Owen stood up, invigorated by a new found hope. "Claire, can you please call Liz?"

"On it.'' Claire was already reaching for her phone and moving away to make the call.

Maisie took his large hand in her small one. "This is going to work, Owen.''

"I sure hope so, kid.''

JWJWJWJWJWJW

Zia said yes, of course. She was thrilled to be helping an old friend and saving dinosaurs at the same time. Owen imagined her boyfriend, Franklin, would be less excited, but Owen also knew that he would do it without complaint. It would probably take Franklin and Zia a day or two to arrive. They lived fairly far out and they had to find a truck and trailer to transport the raptors in. It would be difficult to get them away, without the rangers knowing, but, again, it was doable. Now they just had to get the raptors. . .

JWJWJWJWJWJWJW

Owen felt Maisie's eyes bore into him as he unscrewed the lock on the loft window. Maisie was sitting next to Gray on her twin bed, her knees pulled up to her chin. Owen couldn't read her expression, so he went back to getting the windowpane out. That was the plan. Take out the loft's ceiling window. The front door was being watched, and the only other way out of the house was through the roof. So that was what they were going to do.

The pane came lose very suddenly causing Owen to almost drop it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He set the pane on the floor and exhaled, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. He turned to Gray. "Ready or not, here we go.''

Gray was obviously not ready. Owen saw his throat contract with a nervous swallow. Still, he got up to join Owen. Maisie caught his hand. Their eyes met for a long moment before Maisie leapt off the bed and into his arms. She hugged him so tightly her knuckles turned white. Then she drew away as quickly as she had latched on and fled down the loft ladder.

Owen elected to ignore the whole exchange. Especially how Gray's cheeks were now tinged pink. Owen motioned for him to step into his cupped hands. Gray nervously obliged, and Owen boosted him through the window with a small grunt. Once Gray was safely on the roof, Owen pulled himself up.

The night air had a crisp coolness to it. It smelled heavily of an approaching storm. They would have to hurry. Owen and Gray moved slowly and silently across the shingled slant of the roof. Owen got the best grip he could and began sliding down. When he was hanging off the edge, he cast a glance over his shoulder at the drop below. It was only a few feet. He let go of the roof, relaxing his knees to absorb the fall. He landed gracefully, in a crouched position, like a cat. Gray's fall was slightly less graceful, but Owen expected this and was there to catch him.

With them both securely on the ground, Owen narrowed his eyes, surveying the dark landscape. The ranger guarding the front door seemed to not have heard their quiet movements. _Good start_ , Owen thought, _let's see if we can keep it up._ Motioning for Gray to follow him, Owen slipped into the forest. Walking in the forest was difficult to remain quiet in, but their were so many other natural noises that Owen was not too concerned about it.

The way to Blue's clearing was longer than usual. Owen and Gray had to go around the house, through the forest, to reach the normal point of entrance. Luckily, Gray knew the way to the clearing so well he could navigate in the dark.

"Blue! It's me, girl,'' Owen called in a soft voice.

It was only a moment before Blue leapt out of hiding and bounded up to greet Owen. He stroked her neck. "Hey, listen, girl,'' he murmured. "I'm going to take your babies for a little while, okay? It's for their own safety. I promise I'll bring them back.'' Blue blinked at him. Owen hoped to God that was a sign of comprehension.

The raptor babies had already crowded around Gray. He was greeting them each in turn.

"Will they follow you?'' Owen asked.

"I think so?"

"Alright, well I think I got Blue's seal of approval so let's hurry.'' He paused as Winky shrieked excitedly. "And try to keep them quiet, 'mkay?"

"Okay,'' said Gray, trying to look not totally stressed. He wasn't very good at it.

Their pace quickened as they returned towards the cabin. The raptors tramped a little ways behind Owen and Gray, but they weren't any louder than the other night creatures of the forest. It was almost like they knew the situation was dire. Whatever the reason, Owen was grateful.

"Now what?'' Gray asked, his voice teasing panic, as they reached the cabin. Because the only way they were able to get out of the house was through the ceiling window, it unfortunately resulted in that being the only way to get back in too. Owen could understand how this stressed Gray out — because it stressed the hell out of Owen himself. He _despised_ how out of control he felt he'd become. He hated having only one option. He hated the idea that there might be a better way that he hadn't thought of. That maybe there was another way, but he didn't think of it in time and they got caught. But again, it was out of Owen's control whether he liked it or not.

Owen pulled himself roughly up onto the roof. Gray looked thoroughly confused. _Probably should have walked him through the whole plan before leaving,_ Owen mentally kicked himself. He reached out with both his arms, nodding to the baby raptors. Gray understood. The younger Mitchell boy carefully lifted Scarlett and handed her to Owen. Gray had to stand on his tiptoes and Owen had to lean precariously down, but they managed. Owen set her down beside him. She cocked her head curiously. Gray glanced around. After making sure they were still alone, he did likewise with Adaela, Winky, and Max. Max purred loudly when Gray picked him up. Owen doubted the ranger would hear, but he still almost yanked Gray up onto the roof in a hurry. Luckily, Gray understood. He shepherded the four raptor siblings up the slant of the roof towards the open window. The raptors made the trek easily, their claws gaining good traction on the shingles.

Owen lowered himself back down through the window. He landed lightly, instantaneously reaching up for Winky, whom Gray was already handing down. The more quickly this got done, the better. The gap was not large this time and Gray was able to pass all four raptors down to Owen in half the time he had before. Then Owen helped Gray down. Pure relief flooded Owen; they'd done it. Before celebrating too much, Owen finished the job and reinstalled the windowpane.

Gray was grinning broadly. Owen put a hand on his shoulder. "Nice work, kid.''

The raptors were curiously sniffing around their new environment. Maisie had tidied up a bit and moved most of her things to the living room where she would be sleeping while the dinosaurs inhabited the loft. She had left most of her drawings taped up though. Max was carefully examining one of a small black dinosaur. Owen realized it was of him, Max. He remembered Claire and his wonder about their daughter's drawings. Now they knew where she'd gotten her inspiration. Owen felt a small twinge of resentment recalling how much Maisie had lied while trying to keep the raptor family a secret. It still kind of stung, but Owen understood now that Maisie was just doing what she thought was best for everyone.

He suddenly heard feet scrambling up the ladder. A moment later, Maisie's head popped into view. Her face brightened as soon as she saw the raptors.

"You did it!" She exclaimed.

The raptors, upon hearing her familiar voice, all started towards her. Owen watched her joyfully receive each one. She was cooing and gently talking to them, stroking their scales. Maisie seemed genuinely happy. Owen wondered for neither the first nor last time why Maisie was not afraid of dinosaurs after the disaster at Lockwood Manor. At first she had been turned off by the experiment, but clearly that didn't matter now (although she still had the occasional nightmare, but didn't they all?).

Maisie suddenly stood up. She hugged Owen tightly around the middle. "Thank you,'' she whispered. Owen reacted less enthusiastically when Maisie hugged Gray around the neck.

"Where are Zach and Claire?" Owen asked loudly.

Maisie pulled quickly away from Gray. "They went to bed,'' she said briefly. "It's past midnight.''

"Ah.'' Owen was slightly disappointed. "We better be getting there ourselves. Leave them,'' he added to Maisie, who was looking guilty at leaving the babies, "they'll be fine.''

The three climbed down the ladder. Owen said goodnight, but did not enter his bedroom until he saw Gray enter his and Zach's room and Maisie get settled on the couch. Only then did it hit Owen how exhausted he was. He pulled off his boots and shirt and collapsed in bed beside Claire. She stirred, rubbing her eyes and lifting her head. "Hey babe,'' she murmured sleepily. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep—"

"You're fine, love.'' Owen kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Did you do it?"

"Yeah. We got 'em.''

"Good.'' Claire's fingers curled around Owen's. She snuggled into his chest. He held her tightly, inhaling the warm scent of her ginger hair. It had been a long night. Tomorrow would most likely be a long day. So, for now, sleep.

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

Owen watched the razor glide down his cheek in the mirror's reflection. His rinsed the blade in the sink before repeating the motion. Claire had made him do it. Shaving was the last thing on Owen's mind, but his wife insisted it must be done. _I'll be the most prepossessing man in prison,_ thought Owen grimly. He finished the task and was washing his face when Maisie burst in.

"Shi— Jesus, kid, ever heard of knocking?'' he grumbled, patting his face dry.

"Adaela's gone!" Maisie cried.

"What? What do you mean 'gone'?!"

"Just that,'' Maisie gasped, "she isn't upstairs with her siblings. I've checked everywhere, _but she isn't here!_ "

Owen cursed. "Okay, hold on. You said you checked everywhere; are you sure?"

Maisie nodded, breathlessly. She was close to tears.

Owen pushed gently past her, leaving the bathroom. Claire, Zach, and Gray were standing at the bottom of the loft ladder, nervous expression on their faces. Owen could here the other raptors screeching above.

"Make them shut up.''

"They're looking for Adaela too,'' explained Maisie.

Owen rubbed his temple. He didn't bother looking for the small beta. He knew his family had already tried. "How is this even possible? How'd she get out?"'

At this, Maisie seemed to grow very interested in the cabin floorboards. Owen took notice. "Maisie.''

"I left the ladder down last night — by accident, of course.'' She still wouldn't make eye-contact.

Before Owen could say anything, Gray cut in. "The back door.''

"Excuse me?''

"I found it cracked open this morning. I closed and locked it of course, but. . ." He trailed his sentence off.

_Well shit._ _Alright, that's it. I'm done. I'm screwed._

"They haven't caught her yet,'' said Claire softly. "We'd know if they had. You would already have been arrested.''

Owen thought for a moment. She was right, as usual. If Adaela had escaped in the middle of the night and it was currently early afternoon, the Rangers would have caught her some time ago. But they had all behaved perfectly normal.

"Little bitch got away with it,'' he breathed.

"Why would she want to leave though?" asked Zach.

Maisie nodded. "She was with her siblings, and. . . me. She seemed happy enough the first day.''

Owen sighed. "Adaela is an animal; doesn't have the familiar sense humans do, Mais. What's more, she is a beta. She gladly abandoned her sisters and brother to be with her alpha — and mother. Blue knows we have her babies and she trusts us. She knows she is being threatened by the imposing rangers. I wouldn't be surprised if she and Adaela leave our property all together.''

"Th-they've gone forever?'' Maisie's voice trembled.

"I'm sorry, kid.''

Gray put a comforting arm around Maisie's shoulder, although tears were pricking his own eyes.

"Wait, but—,'' Claire suddenly jerked her head up. She snatched Owen's hand and pulled him into a corner, away from the three younger member of the family. "Owen,'' she said urgently, "if Blue and Adaela leave our property and Franklin and Liz take the other raptors away then we're out of danger of your arrest, right?"

"Well, yeah,'' said Owen. "But that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"No! I mean, yes, it's good for us, but Owen, think! If Blue and Adaela leave our property, they'll be caught for sure. And if they're caught, you can be damn well sure they will be killed.''

Owen's heartbeat quickened.

"What do we do?'' Claire whispered.

"I-I don't know.'' Owen felt the bitter taste of failure upon his tongue. After everything they had done to save the velociraptors, this is how it was going to end. They had fought _so hard_ for a couple of goddamn animals and in the end they were going to lose anyway. The idea made Owen want to put his fist through the wall.

"Guys?'' Maisie's uncertain voice called.

Owen turned dejectedly to face her. She, Zach, and Gray all bore expressions full of dread. They knew something was amiss. They waited in silence for an explanation of the adults' private conversation.

"We need you three to do something for us.'' Claire spoke up. Owen shot her a side glance. She continued with increasing confidence. "We need you to watch the babies. Keep them hidden and keep them quiet. Owen and I are going to go make sure Blue and Adaela get away safely. It shouldn't take too long.''

"We can do that, no problem,'' said Zach reassuringly.

"No problem,'' Gray echoed.

Maisie came closer to her adoptive parents. "Will you guys be okay?''

Owen pulled gently on her ponytail. "You betcha.''

"Okay,'' she still looked worried. "We'll take good of Scarlett, Winky, and Max; I promise.''

"We wouldn't leave you with them if we didn't completely trust you,'' said Claire.

Owen nodded for effect. Of course he trusted his daughter and nephews. But he felt Claire was exaggerating. Their level of comfort was low and making it seem like everything was okay felt like . . . well, it felt like lying. But it couldn't be helped at the moment.

Having already decided traveling on foot would be both slow and unnecessary, Owen casually explained to a Ranger that he and his wife were going to be taking a leisurely ride in the forest. Despite the situation, Owen was actually excited to get his four-wheelers out. He hadn't ridden in quite some time, but, being the expert he was, that did not matter. He did give Claire a quick tutorial-refresher just in case she'd forgotten some small but important details.

"You ready?'' Owen asked, once he and Claire were situated on the two ATV 500s.

"As I will ever be.''

"Same here,'' he exhaled, turning the key.

"Wait!" Maisie sprinted up. "Wait,'' she gasped. "Be careful. Please.''

"We will, sweetheart,'' soothed Claire. Maisie embraced her quickly, then turned to leave. But she stopped beside Owen.

"Remember what we told you,'' said Owen because he didn't know what else to say. "Keep 'em hidden, keep 'em safe.''

Maisie nodded resolutely. "I will.''

Owen smiled in spite of himself. "I know.''

Maisie suddenly threw her arms around his waist, her face pressed up against his chest. "I love you, Dad,'' she whispered only loud enough for him to hear.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, begging the tears to hold themselves back. "I love you too, Maisie.''

As quickly as she latched on, she let go and ran back to the house.

"Alright,'' Owen cleared his throat. "Let's go.'' He revved his engine.

Claire shot him a smile that was somehow simultaneously warm and smug.

 _Dear God, I hope this works._ And they sped off.


	18. Chapter 18

Owen kept his head down as he raced through the forest. His helmet protected his face from getting scratched to bits by the rough terrain, but he was starting to think he should have worn safety glasses. Becoming blind was not on the day's agenda.

He stole a quick glance behind him. His wife was keeping close to his heels while still letting him lead the way. Claire caught his eye and flashed a reassuring smile. It seemed kind of forced, but Owen understood. A great deal of pressure rest on their shoulders. A series of weighty thoughts occupied Owen's mind: find Blue and Adaela, somehow bring them back to the cabin without being caught, get all five raptors to safety with Franklin and Zia, don't get arrested, and juggle this all while being the best husband/dad/uncle you can be. Yep. Easy peasy.

Owen drummed his fingers nervously on the four-wheeler's handlebar. He wished the vehicle could go faster. Any faster than they were already going would not have been safe, but Owen was more worried about reaching their destination than safety of how they got there.

After a short time (which had felt like an eternity to Owen), the four-wheelers burst out of the thick brush into a clearing. Owen slammed on the brakes, causing his four-wheeler to lurch and skid to a stop, nearly throwing him off. Claire did likewise, except a little more smoothly perhaps. Owen hurriedly pulled off his helmet and hopped off his four-wheeler.

"Those things have quite the braking-distance, huh?" said Claire, trying to smooth out her tangled helmet-hair. "By which I mean it's nonexistent.''

Owen nodded distractedly in agreement. He appreciated his wife's efforts to lighten the mood. There was, however, a time and a place for mood-lightening. Unfortunately, now was not the time. Owen jogged towards the raptors' old nest. He dropped to one knee and began carefully examining the nest. He then stood up and whirled around to find himself standing nose-to-nose with Claire.

"Whoa, hi.'' She held up her hands and took a step back. "Just me.''

"Yeah, yeah, sorry,'' Owen exhaled shakily. "I'm on the edge of losing my damn mind.''

Claire took his hand. "It's alright, Owen. Honestly. We're all scared, including yourself, which makes you paranoid as hell. Now, where are Blue and Adaela?''

"They were just here,'' said Owen, grateful for his tracking knowledge. "I'd say they were here five minutes ago at the most.''

"Where could they have gone so quickly? And why?" Claire asked, puzzled.

Owen shrugged. "They must have heard us coming. The four-wheelers were the fastest way of getting here, but definitely not the most quiet. Probably scared them off.''

"So. . .?"

"They couldn't have gone far,'' Owen said, drawing his clicker out of his jeans pocket.

"That thing again?'' Claire laughed.

"It worked last time, didn't it?" He began pumping his thumb on the clicker.

"Blue!" Claire called softly. "Blue, Adaela!"

The brush directly behind the abandoned nest rustled. Blue poked her head cautiously out. As soon as she saw Owen, she leapt out of the bushes and trot up to greet him. "Hey girl,'' he murmured, stroking her scaly neck. She made a purring noise, reverberating deeply through her throat.

"Owen.''

Owen looked to Claire, who nodded to her right. Adaela had also emerged from her hiding spot. She was standing with her head cocked, blinking owlishly.

Owen let out a sigh of relief. They had the velociraptors. Now all they needed to do was get Blue and Adaela to the cabin, call up Franklin and Liz, and—

"Step away from the dinosaurs.''

Owen froze. He took a slow, reluctant step backward, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. Claire did likewise. Adaela raced to her mother's side. Blue curled her tail protectively around her baby, hissing threateningly.

"Hands up, turn around.'' Called the shaky voice again.

Owen rolled his eyes, but obeyed. Whatever bastard had caught them was obviously terrified of the raptors. Hands extended over his head, Owen turned slowly around. A man in a ranger's uniform with gelled hair held a gun poised at the ready — except it was shaking in his hands. The ranger's eyes were wide with fear. His mouth was drawn in a tight line. Owen recognized him from a couple days before.

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that,'' Owen drawled. "If it isn't Ranger Timothy Haze. Scared much, Timmy? You know these are velociraptors, highly dangerous carnivorous dinosaurs, right?''

"S-s-silence!'' Haze stuttered.

"I'm just warming up.'' Owen smirked.

Haze cocked his gun. "I m-mean it, Grady!''

Owen raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Did you seriously just cock your gun? Was it, like, not cocked before? Dude, what if one of these _highly dangerous carnivorous dinosaurs_ attacked you? You'd be totally screwed.''

Ranger Haze paled as he realized Owen was right. Still, for reason unbeknown to Owen, he kept up the whole I'm-a-Ranger-and-totally-in-control-of-the-situation facade. "Y-you're under arrest, Grady! Under the charge of—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it,'' interrupted Owen. "But to tattle on me and get my ass sent to jail you have to be alive. Blue here has been working with me for years. She listens to my every command. If I told her to dispose of some pesky Ranger,'' Owen smiled cynically, "she'd do it.''

"Owen!" Claire gasped.

Timothy Haze blanched.

Blue chose that moment to emit a deep growl.

Owen smiled inwardly. _Perfect timing, girl._

Haze dropped his gun. "Okay, fine! Fine!"

_That was easy._ Owen stuck out his lower lip in a pouty fashion. "You know, I'm disappointed, Timmy. I thought you were going to put up more of a fight. With all the rangers being an 'elite force' bullshit I thought you guys had at least a bit of integrity.''

Anger lined Haze's face. The taunt was working. Owen looked to Claire. She had a disapproving, trusting expression on her face. Owen understood. His wife may not have approved of his methods, but she knew he had a plan. Owen winked quickly to let her know his plan was working. She jerked her head in comprehension. Blue was studying Owen, appearing to also be awaiting instructions. Adaela looked confused and frightened, but Owen knew she would follow Blue's lead. He looked back to his Ranger friend.

"Even if I decide to spare your pitiful life,'' said Owen, false reason dripping from his tone of voice, "it would still be my word against yours. I could just deny, deny, deny. I was popular in the navy, I have people who would vouch for me. Also, my lovely wife is the only other person here. First witness, ya know? She could just swear I am innocent and you made this whole scenario up to be a hero.'' Owen was taking the whole bluffing thing too far, he knew. He wouldn't actually have his wife swear wrongly to court. That would be a horrible crime of injustice. But he hoped to God it didn't come to that. If it did, he had decided awhile ago he would take his prison sentence like a man.

"That's — that's all if the beasts get away,'' said Haze. "They haven't and they won't. I'm going to kill them.'' But Owen knew by the uncertainty in the man's voice that they both were well aware that was not going to happen.

"True.'' Owen kept playing along. "Very true. They would have to get away. Far away.'' His eyes shot to Claire. Her jaw was set.

The ranger was about to respond when Owen hurled himself forward, knocking the preppy man to the ground. Startled, but not quite winded, Haze recovered quickly. He lunged for his gun. Owen got there first, kicking the weapon far out of the ranger's reach. He yanked Haze, who was trying to get to his feet, down by the back of his uniform. Securing the struggling man in a firm headlock, Owen yelled, "Go! Claire, go!''

Claire sprinted to her four-wheeler. She hopped aboard, turning the key. It revved to life. She jammed her helmet on so roughly it scraped her ears raw, but she did not have time to even notice. "Come on, Blue!''

But Blue stood still, blinking. Adaela screeched in fright.

"Blue!'' Owen yelled, his struggle with the ranger increasing. "Blue, follow her!"

"Come on, Blue!'' Claire again called, this time desperately.

Blue may have become her own Alpha, with Adaela as her Beta, but either by instinct or habit she still obeyed Owen. She trotted up behind Claire, Adaela on her heels.

"Good girl, Blue,'' praised Claire warmly. She glanced worriedly back at Owen.

_"_ _Go!''_

The back wheels spat up dirt from the quick acceleration. Claire shot off in the opposite direction of the house, Blue and Adaela racing after her. Owen watched them. The plan had been so quickly conceived in his mind and it was pretty miraculous so much had been silently communicated between the couple. Claire, Blue, and Adaela vanished from sight. Owen relaxed slightly. Unfortunately, this was a very bad move.

Haze took advantage of Owen's momentary relaxation and caught him completely off guard with an elbow to the face. Owen felt his nose being bashed into his face, exploding in pain. White spots danced across his vision. Temporarily blinded, he grip on Haze slackened. The ranger jerked away, causing Owen to fall to his knees. Haze provided Owen a sound kick to the stomach. Owen groaned as his stomach lurched. He tried rolling away, but was met with another forceful kick. His ribs suddenly felt like they had been set afire. Involuntary tears blurred his vision, but he felt himself be roughly forced onto his back.

A great pressure suddenly materialized on his abdomen. He furiously wiped his eyes, blinking away the moisture. Haze was _sitting_ on him. Yes, sitting on him in a straddle position. Before Owen could say or do anything, the ranger thrust his fist into Owen's cheek. Owen lifted his hands to his face in attempt to shield himself, but to no avail. Haze's punches kept coming, one after another. Owen eventually gave up his struggle and let the pain and darkness consume him.

* * *

Claire's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. She thought of Owen, how she'd let him to fight an elite government official. She had full trust in her husband's abilities, but this one seemed like asking for trouble. Then again, Owen had been the one who had meant for Claire to get the raptors to safety. With that Claire's train of thought switched tracks. The raptors. Where the hell was she going to take Blue and Adaela?

She swerved her four-wheeler around a large tree. Blue and Adaela were close behind, keeping up well. The forest went back for miles. Claire decided she would just take the dinosaurs far enough away so the Ranger could not track or find them. The only question was: how far away was far enough? Claire's stomach clenched in unsettlement. She was going to have to make some big decisions. Ones that she was not specially qualified to make.

A couple minutes later, Claire braked. The four-wheeler skid to a stop, its brakes squeaking irritably. Claire hopped off. There wasn't anything particular about this spot that made her want think this was the right place for the raptors to temporarily reside. But she simply couldn't leave Owen any longer.

Blue and Adaela had stopped as well. They were panting slightly, but were still erect. Claire placed a hand on Blue's neck. "Hey, Blue. I need you to stay here, okay? Don't follow me. Do you understand?''

Blue blinked at her. Claire sincerely hoped that was a "yes, I understand and will obey you" blink, but she knew not to count on it. The raptors, or at least Blue, seemed to understand the humans pretty well all things considered. Claire knew that they were extremely intelligent creatures. But they were still animals. Claire was currently doubting everything and she found it hard to trust a dinosaur. But she didn't have a choice and she really was out of time. She climbed back on her four-wheeler, glanced at the raptors one last time, and sped off.

* * *

Owen was dimly aware of being, well, aware. He wasn't getting the shit beaten out of him anymore. His face and body were still hurting absolutely everywhere. The pressure of Timothy Haze sitting on his stomach was still there. Which meant he had only been out for a couple minutes. But he was down, defeated. Haze had won. Owen was going to jail. It was inevitable at this point. He thought of his family. His wife, his daughter, his nephews. The sentence was undoubtedly going to be a long one. He was going to miss his daughter growing up. He couldn't do that. Maisie had already been through so much at Lockwood Manor. He couldn't abandon her now. He wasn't going to.

Gathering all his strength, Owen shoved Ranger Haze back, kneeing him squarely in the groin. Haze grunted, his face tightening in pain and discomfort. Owen balled his right fist and swung, hitting the ranger in the jaw as hard as he could. Then he kicked him in the stomach, causing the man to lose his grip on Owen and topple off. Owen thrust his foot in Haze's side once more, just for good measure, before straddling him just as Haze himself had done to Owen moments before. Before the ranger could struggle much, Owen pounded him in the nose. Haze cried out in pain, blood instantly flooding from both nostrils.

"Wait,'' he choked, but Owen had already wrapped both hands around his neck. Haze watched Owen's bloodied face through eyes that reminded Owen of a cornered animal waiting the inevitable slaughter.

Owen began applying pressure to the ranger's windpipe. Haze began gagging and gasping, his face quickly turning red. His lips formed unspoken words, but Owen knew they were a plea for him to stop. For some reason, made Owen squeeze Haze's throat harder. His eyes bulged. His skin began changing from red to purple. Was Owen going to kill this man? He knew he could if he wanted to. But did he want to? Did he _really_ want Ranger Timothy Haze dead? He was a threat to Owen's family. If Owen was holed up in prison, he couldn't provide for those he loved. But then again, it wasn't a personal conflict. Ranger Haze was just doing his job. And no matter how much Owen resented him, he had to admit that he did not believe Haze would have killed him. Even if it was out of cowardice not humanity, nobility, compassion, or anything of the sort, facts were facts. Owen couldn't kill Haze in the act of self-defense. He could - and had - justly beat the crap out of him, but not kill. That would be straight-up murder.

Owen released his hands, wiping his sweaty palms on his shirt. He clambered off of the ranger, none too carefully, "accidentally" kneeing him in the ribs. Haze gasped, rolling over onto his belly. Owen gave him a couple moments to gulp down air before yanking him roughly to his feet by his bicep.

"Thank you, thank you,'' Haze gasped, his palms upturned.

Owen shot him a disgusted look before releasing him. He bent down stiffly, every joint of his body aching from his beating, and retrieved Haze's gun. He pointed it at the ranger's chest. The latter's hands shot up. The previous look of terror returned. "I thought—"

"Shut the hell up,'' snapped Owen. "Wipe that blood from your face.''

Haze quickly did so.

"Now,'' Owen breathed heavily, "swear to me that you will never speak a word of this to anyone. You never saw the velociraptors. You have no idea they're here at all. In fact, you are now convinced they were never here. You've decided to give up this mission or whatever the hell you call this and go home. Understand that, Timmy?''

"Yes, yes, I understand, please let me go!" Haze cried.

Owen jammed his gun to his chest. Haze winced in pain, but said nothing. He took the gun, thanked Owen quickly, wiped the remaining blood from his face, and scurried in the direction of the cabin. Owen watched him go. When he was sure Haze had gone far enough, he sunk to the ground. He dropped his head in his hands, groaning in pain and exhaustion. Everything hurt. He felt dizzy and sick. For a moment he thought he was going to vomit, but the nausea passed into a dull ache in his stomach. He would have some beautiful abdomen bruises the next day. Owen wasn't even sure he would be able to get out of bed the next morning. Bed sounded nice though. The cabin seemed so far away. Maybe he could just take a small nap here. . .

Suddenly Owen became dimly aware of an engine close by. Getting closer. Very close, very quickly. It whirred to a stop. Footsteps. Someone was coming towards him.

"Owen!" A familiar, far off voice called. "Owen, oh my god, Owen.''

He felt a gently hand against his back. He lifted his head. Claire's beautiful, concerned face hovered above him. He smile painfully. "Hey babe.'' Claire knelt beside him. "Oh god,'' she said again.

"It's alright,'' Owen reassured her. "I'm alright. Just really freaking exhausted.''

"You're hurt, baby,'' murmured Claire, examining his bloodied face.

Owen shrugged. "Nothing that time won't heal. I don't have a concussion or anything, trust me I'd know if I did.''

Claire nodded, trusting his judgement, but her concerned expression remained.

"I got Timmy to listen. He won't tell our little secret now. Please don't worry.'' He grunted slightly as Claire helped him to his feet. "What about Blue?''

"She and Adaela are fine,'' Claire informed him. "Don't _you_ worry. They're well hidden.'' She smiled then, kissing him. "Let's go home. It's getting dark.'' Owen had barely noticed the diminishing light.

With Claire's help he clambered onto his four-wheeler. They rode more slowly back to the cabin, no rush was needed. Owen tried his best to wipe most of the blood away so none of the stupid Rangers noticed. He had a good story about him crashing though, if it was needed. Luckily though, no one noticed when the husband and wife casually pulled back into their garage.

As soon Owen and Claire walked though the front door Maisie was down the loft ladder and in their arms. When she finally drew back, her eyes widened at Owen's bruised face.

"God, what happened, Dad?! Did you get Blue and Adaela?"

"They're in a safe place for now,'' Claire reassured her. She smiled at Owen. "We'll bring them here soon. I have a feeling the rangers won't be around much longer.''

Owen groaned in reply.


	19. Chapter 19

As Claire had predicted, the rangers packed up and left within the next two days. Haze, completely petrified by Owen's threats, had done exactly as he was instructed by the latter. Maisie sat beside Gray on the front porch. Together they watched the rangers' trucks pull out of the driveway for good. Maisie sighed in relief as they disappeared from view. She smiled sideways at Gray. "I was beginning to think they'd never leave.''

"Not if Owen had anything to do with it,'' Gray laughed. "He kicked ol' Timmy's ass. We won't be seeing him anytime soon.''

"I'd settle for never.''

Gray nodded fervently in agreement.

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes. Maisie studied his features. He was staring thoughtfully at the ground, his eyes downcast. His eyelashes brushed the top of his cheekbones ever so slightly. His shoulders were hunched comfortably. Gray was blossoming into a fine young man. And, Maisie realized, she was growing up too. She was nearly thirteen. Gray was a few years older, but somehow seemed much younger than fifteen. Perhaps it was because she had seen him at his most vulnerable when Zach was injured. Or maybe it was because she did not want to see him as much older than herself.

For the first twelve years of her life, Maisie had been interested in dinosaurs, and dinosaurs only. She loved her grandfather and Iris, and then Owen and Claire, but she was not very interested in their personal affairs beyond the usual. Boys had certainly never been on her mind. But now things had . . . changed. The unspoken word tasted salty on her tongue. Maisie felt that if she spoke it, it would become a reality. Even unspoken, it was still a reality, she knew. The summer had been a tremulous one. Now, as it was nearing it's inevitable end, Maisie feared she had entered a stage of womanhood she could never leave: she was interested in boys. Gray, more specifically. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about him.

The fact that her adoptive mother was Gray's biological aunt raised a few red flags. Maisie and Gray were not technically related as they did not share the same DNA (she knew this made it okay because a) logic, and b) Maisie overheard Claire telling Owen that she had once known a girl in middle school whose parents had been adoptive siblings). It still seemed off though. Family gatherings would be horrifically awkward if Maisie and Gray went through a rocky breakup, it seemed weird and off-color even though it was not technically incest. Also, if she was able to convince her parents to let her go to school, she didn't want to be known as the girl who was dating her legal first cousin.

On the other hand, Maisie liked Gray. She really, really did. She felt it quickly turning into more than a simple — but mutual — crush. Although she was young, she was mature, and maybe she wasn't too young for her first relationship. Maisie had no doubt she would be happy with Gray. And she wouldn't have to go through the uncomfortable hey-mom-and-dad-can-I-date-him-do-you-approve conversation since she knew her parents loved and trusted Gray very much.

"Hey.'' Gray shattered her thoughts.

"Hm, what? Were you talking? I'm sorry, I—'' Maisie flushed slightly.

"Nah, you're fine. What's on your mind?'' Gray nudged her shoulder with his.

"Oh,'' Maisie faltered, "I was, uh, just . . . thinking.''

"About?" He prompted.

Maisie swallowed hard. "Us."

A smile tugged at the corners of Gray's mouth. "And?"

Maisie fidgeted. "I think we should just be friends.'' The answer ripped itself out before she could contain it. It wasn't what she meant to say at all. But after having said it, she realized that it was the right thing. They needed to stay friends, at least for the time being.

Gray drew back in surprise. He hadn't expected that either. It took him a moment to find his voice. "W-what?" He stammered.

Cringing inwardly at the hurt in Gray's voice, Maisie forced her explanation, "Gray, I like you. I do. Really. And I care deeply about you. But I don't feel like I'm in the right position to . . . date you.''

Brow furrowing slightly, Gray said, "If this is because your new mom happens to be my aunt—''

"No! No, no, no, nothing like that!" Maisie said quickly. "It's not because I think that's weird or anything, or I think that there's something wrong with you or me. We're only teenagers — barely, in my case. We have the rest of our lives to make these kinds of decisions. We've hung out all summer, but that's only a couple months. In a couple years when we're older and know each other better, I think we should definitely give this a go. But not right now. I think it would do more harm than good to our relationship in the long run.'' She paused for breath, aware that she was rambling and barely making any sense.

Gray seemed to consider this. He nodded slowly. "I get what you're saying. And I do think you're right.'' He pondered a bit more before finally concluding, "'Friends' works just fine for me.'' A strained smile crossed his face. The hurt was still there, but appeared to have lessened significantly.

"Thanks,'' she said softly. Maisie instantly began second-guessing her decision. What if she was wrong? What if Gray moved on before she was ready to be with him and he got a different girlfriend, forgot about her completely. Even if that does happen, she reminded herself, we'll still be friends at least. Nothing permanently damaged between us. She took a deep breath, cleared her head, and firmly decided she'd made the right call.

The front door opened behind them. They both turned around. Owen was standing in the doorway, eyeing the two of them skeptically.

"Can we help you?'' Maisie asked, ruffled, unintentionally rude. Owen didn't appear to have noticed the curtness in her tone.

"Franklin and Zia will be here in an hour.''

"What?''

Owen let out his breath in a puff. "Yep.''

Maisie stared blankly at him. "What do you mean?''

"They've come to take the raptors to a more secure location. We've been planning this for days, remember?"

Maisie blinked incredulously at him. "But the rangers left. It's secure here. Blue, Adaela, they can stay here . . .''

Owen shook his head. "No, they can't, Mais. We're still under close observation. There are plenty of people who didn't believe Haze's little story; some still believe the raptors are in hiding at out house. It's not safe, not yet.''

Maisie was at a loss for words. Instead, Gray spoke angrily. "Why does it even matter? Blue hasn't hurt anyone! They have no reason to hunt her so relentlessly.''

Leaning against the doorframe, Owen sighed again. "Even if she hasn't directly hurt anyone in a long time, she's still a possible threat. To make the citizens of this country feel safe, they have to take every precaution necessary to guarantee no one gets hurt. And unfortunately with a velociraptor the only way to do that is to kill her.''

"They're leaving?" Maisie whispered, tears brimming.

"Yeah.'' Owen sighed heavily for the umpteenth time. "Yeah, they're leaving, kid.''

"In one hour?" The tears threatened to spill over.

"Yeah,'' said Owen again. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Gray wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. She buried her head in his neck. It was an emotional gesture for someone who had just friend-zoned him, but Maisie needed all the comfort she could get and their little semi-breakup suddenly seemed vastly unimportant next to the notion of her beloved raptors leaving.

After a couple moments, Gray helped Maisie to her feet and then went back inside the cabin. The last couple days had been so chaotic, the usually pristine kitchen/living room area was in an upheaval. Claire was speeding around every which way trying to restore order before their guests came. Not sure what else to do, Maisie offered her (and Gray's) help. Grateful, Claire sent the two of them to help Zach make dinner.

Maisie didn't bother asking Claire where Owen was going when she saw him leave the cabin. She knew he was going into the forest to bring Blue and Adaela back. Earlier, Maisie had wanted to go with him. Now she didn't care so much. They would be leaving briefly after returning. And the thought made Maisie want to cry all over again. So she pushed away her thoughts and focused on the tedious task at hand: making dinner.

Claire had placed Zach in charge of the meal preparation. It was actually fairly simple; spaghetti and meatballs. All they had to do was cook the spaghetti over the stovetop and put the meatballs in the oven. Zach, because he was on crutches, mainly supervised Maisie and Gray. He was kind and patient and Maisie enjoyed his company. Zach noticed right away the tension between her and Gray. He didn't press either of them for details and he didn't make them talk it through or even interact with each other. Maisie was very grateful.

JWJWJWJWJWJWJW

When Franklin and Zia arrived, Maisie fled to the loft without even greeting them. She actually loved them both, but she just wasn't in the mood to speak to them. Resentment bubbled inside her. Maisie knew it wasn't Frank and Zia's fault the raptors were leaving, but they were the ones taking them away which felt a bit like a personal attack.

Maisie sat on the floor, cuddling the three babies in turn. She even cried a little. Winky seemed to notice her distress and licked her face trying to comfort her. It reminded Maisie of a puppy. The thought that these baby raptors would someday grow into carnivorous beasts made Maisie a little hysterical. At the moment, they wouldn't hurt a fly. But they would grow up — they were growing up. Just like she was.

Gray's head popped into view from the ladder. "Maisie?"

Maisie scrubbed her eyes furiously. "Y-yes?"

Gray gazed at her empathetically. She thought he was going to come comfort her, but he appeared to think better of it. "Owen's back. It's dinner time.''

Instead of rushing outside, filled with joy at the prospect of seeing Adaela again, Maisie felt only a sick dread. She reluctantly followed Gray down the ladder.

Franklin and Zia were seated with her parents and Zach at the kitchen table. Zia waved a greeting and Franklin gave his aloof smile. Maisie forced a wan smile. She sat between Zia and Owen and wordlessly began to eat her spaghetti and meatballs without even tasting it.

"Are you excited for school to start, Maisie?" Zia asked.

"I'm not going,'' mumbled Maisie in reply.

"Oh,'' Zia quickly recovered, "that's right, you homeschool! I forgot. Are you excited to begin?"

Maisie shrugged indifferently, keeping her eyes locked on the bowl of spaghetti in front of her. She did not intend to come off as rude, still she caught Claire's reproachful glanced. It was The Look. She knew she better clean up her attitude.

"I'm going into the eighth grade,'' she attempted a brighter tone.

Zia nodded encouragingly. "That's a good one! Right before high-school.''

Maisie was well aware of the paleoveterinarian's efforts to be friendly with her. Maisie appreciated the gesture and tried to reciprocate as well as she could. But even then, Zia could tell the conversation was half-hearted from Maisie's end.

After a bit, their meander talk subsided and Maisie half-listened to the conversation Frank was having with Owen and Claire. It wasn't about anything that interested her. She glanced over at Zach and Gray, who both appeared to be feigning interest. Zach caught her eye and winked. She stuck her tongue out playfully in response.

About half an hour after everyone had finished eating, Maisie began to fidget. No one had even mentioned the reason Franklin and Zia were there. It was as if it wasn't even happening at all. Maisie wished dearly that was the case. She understood her parents hadn't seen their close friends in awhile and they had a lot to catch up on, but at this point she just wanted to get the whole damn thing over with.

When Owen pushed his chair away from the table and got to his feet, Maisie shot up and dashed outside. The hot setting sun cast red shadows over the lawn, the green grass and watery hue clashing terribly.

"Adaela!" Maisie called, her voice flat.

She waited only a moment before a speckled black raptor bounded up to her. Adaela had gotten much bigger over the summer. She wasn't the fragile, helpless newborn she had been when Maisie met her. That didn't matter now. Just as she had done her first encounter with Adaela, Maisie scooped the velociraptor up in her arms and held her close. Adaela purred and nuzzled Maisie's shoulder like a kitten, oblivious to the tears squeezing out of her friend's eyes.

Maisie was suddenly aware to a presence behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Owen. Adaela scrambled out of Maisie's arms as Gray, Claire, and Zia came out of the cabin carrying Max, Scarlet, and Winky. Adaela bounded joyfully towards her siblings. Maisie saw Blue greeting her parted children, nudging them each in turn with her snout. The happy reunion made Maisie all that more miserable.

"You alright?''

Maisie jerked her head, wiping away tears she hadn't meant to be seen. "Yeah, m'alright. What about you? Aren't you going to say goodbye, Dad?''

"I already have.'' Owen's voice was husky. He put an arm around his daughter as they watched the other three members of their family crouched down, saying goodbye to the dinosaurs they had all grown immensely fond of. Maisie noticed Franklin and Zia looking both excited and anxious. Mostly excited. Maisie felt the bitter resentment towards them creeping back inside her. It wasn't fair how they got the raptors.

Franklin had driven a large Chevy truck, towing a a spacious, closed trailer behind. Zia shepherded all five raptors inside. One by one, they vanished from Maisie's view. First Scarlet, then Max, then Winky. Adaela paused before entering and Maisie had a sudden wild hope the raptor would refuse to go. But then Adaela trotted behind her siblings, disappearing from view. Blue was last, carefully making sure her babies were all in before going herself. Blue turned back towards the cabin, towards Owen, towards Maisie. Her gaze rested on Owen the longest time, before shifting to Maisie. The message was conveyed briefly, but Maisie got it: Thank you.

And just like that, Frank and Zia got into the truck and pulled out of the driveway. Maisie remembered only hours before her delight and relief at seeing the rangers vanish. Now she watched, sick, as her best friends did the same.

When the very last inch of the back of the trailer disappeared, Maisie turned into Owen, burying her head in his stomach. His strong arms wrapped around her. He held her like that in silence for some time before softly speaking. "You know this isn't the last we'll ever see them, right? Once everything is cleared and we know for sure it's safe, they can come back and they can stay.''

Maisie did know this would be the case. But it didn't hurt any less. She knew the time when everything was "clear" was months, maybe even a year away. It was so long. Would the raptors even remember her? They were highly intelligent creatures, she knew, but doubt corrupted her.

Eventually, the Mitchells/Gradys migrated back inside and began cleaning up. No one said much. They were all subdued by the absence of their velociraptor friends. Maisie found herself listening for the shrieks of the babies in her loft. She even caught herself missing the anxiety that followed, wondering if any Ranger had heard and if their cover was blown for good.

Zach's phone suddenly started ringing, startling them all. Puzzled, he pulled his cell from his back pocket. His expression on confusion morphed into one of shock as he saw the caller ID.

"Zach?'' Gray asked uncertainly.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch.

"It's Mom.''

"What?"

Zach nodded dumbly. Gray looked equally incredulous.

"Answer it,'' Claire prompted gently.

Zach limped into his and Gray's room, shutting the door behind him.

Maisie noticed Gray chewing his lip, his fingers tapping his thighs, riddled with anxiety. It was strange how little Maisie had thought of the boys' mother since their arrival weeks ago. No one really seemed to think about it. Or care, really. A familiar sinking feeling crept into her gut. With all the worrying she had done about the raptors, the prospect that Zach and Gray were actually going to leave their cabin hadn't even crossed her mind. They had become such a crucial part of her life. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to go back to the life she had before they came.

Maisie tried pushing those thoughts away. She tried being positive. Maybe their mom had decided she never wanted them to come back and was ditching them for good at the Gradys. Maisie felt instantly guilty. The Mitchell boys' mother obviously didn't care very much for their well-being — Maisie couldn't recall ever hearing them talk on the phone while they stayed over. The very first dinner the boys had with Maisie and her parents, it seemed so long ago, she had detected a bitter sense of resentment between Zach and their mom. She didn't think Claire had ever even told her sister when Zach had gotten hurt. But Maisie knew complete abandonment would break the boys beyond repair.

The bedroom door clicked open and Zach limped out, favoring his left leg significantly. Gray hurried to bring him his crutches, which he had left in the kitchen.

"So?'' Gray asked when Zach was situated.

Zach looked at Owen and Claire with an unreadable expression, before dragging his gaze back to his little brother. "That was Mom,'' he said unnecessarily. Then, "she's coming home.''

This story is almost complete! Only one more chapter to go. Reviews are still always appreciated.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter is finally up! I hope you have enjoyed this story. Thank you so much for reading, and all your kind comments. It means the world :)  
> xxxRosalie

Her phone lit up again, a soft buzz emitted to notify the owner of an incoming message. Claire wished it would stop. _Can a girl take a shower in peace?_ She wondered. Then, _yes, she can. But a woman cannot._ She ran her soapy hands over her body, making it slick and sudsy. Then she scrubbed her face, a little harder than she meant to, but her hands were working viciously with contempt. Claire let them drop to her side. She tipped her head back, letting her self enjoy the feeling of warm water streaming down her face, washing away soap and tears.

The water grew cold. Claire did not get out of the shower.

When she begrudgingly felt like she could finally face life, she reached up and shut the water off. She took as long as she possibly could to dry off and get partially dressed. Claire clambered up onto the sink counter. She sat there for maybe ten minutes, perfecting makeup she didn't even care about anymore. Back when she _did_ care she had been quite good at it and had picked up the closer-to-the-mirror-you-are-the-better-your-makeup-is tip. After she had finished, Claire let her forehead rest on the mirror. She surveyed herself in its reflection. Her eyes fell to her bare thigh. To her scar. From the long-dead Indoraptor. Claire thought of the similar scars Zach would now have tracing across his left foreleg. What a wild summer that one had been.

And now it was coming to an end.

Claire finally got dressed and brushed her hair out. She was fully aware she had spent over an hour in the small bathroom. She had purposefully left her phone unchecked on the counter. Claire thought if she read another message from her sister she'd be sick. They were long, icky messages about how much Karen had missed her sons, how grateful she was to Owen and Claire for taking care of them, etc. Karen wouldn't have ditched her sons all freaking summer and gone off to Europe to do god-knows-what with her boyfriend if she had cared about Zach and Gray. The fact was: Karen didn't give a shit about anyone but herself. Claire felt uncomfortable about returning Zach and Gray to their mother. It didn't feel right. She was a mess and their father had drifted out of the picture.

Claire felt so strongly about this dilemma that she had invested a serious conversation with Owen about bringing Karen to court in a custody battle. But Owen had convinced her it wasn't worth it; Karen would win anyway. She was the boys' mother and she _had_ taken care of them. But Claire didn't think "taking care of" and "caring for" were synonyms. Likewise, "mistreating" wasn't the opposite of "loving". Karen had never really "mistreated" Zach and Gray, but she had never really "loved" them either. Or at least she no longer did.

The early afternoon sunlight streamed through the open cabin windows. A soft breeze had drifted inside. It was a strangely cool day, at the peak of the usual heat-streak. Claire couldn't believe it was mid-August already. School would start in a few weeks. She was more nervous than she had expected for Maisie to go to a real school. It wasn't that Claire thought Maisie wouldn't do well in a classroom setting or that she didn't think Maisie would be capable of making good friends. It was that Claire would miss having her daughter around 24/7. She would miss her a lot. It was a complicated thing though, because Claire was genuinely happy for Maisie because Maisie was excited. _Maybe I'll get a job,_ she thought. _Work part-time. Something to keep me busy the eight hours she's gone every day._

Speaking (thinking, whatever) of work, where was Owen? He had taken a half-day and should have been home by then. Maisie was also nowhere to be seen. Claire would have been slightly concerned under normal circumstances, which these were not. She didn't blame her husband and daughter for hiding away;

Today was the day Zach and Gray left.

Claire's nephews had become such a regularity at the Grady cabin. They had stayed over all summer, longer than expected, which tricked everyone's minds into thinking that the Mitchells would stay with the Gradys forever. Of course, had any of them actually stopped and pondered the idea, they would have dismissed it almost immediately. Forever was a long time. No, forever was infinite; while there was time, there would be a forever. Claire loved Zach and Gray very much, but even she was surprised at the impact them leaving had on the family. A wave of melancholy had been cast over them like a large, black shadow.

Claire checked the time. Karen would be there in an hour. She knew she should get lunch started soon. But she hung back. She eventually decided she should go say something to the boys. It was the last private moment she would have with them anyway.

She knocked lightly on the guest room door. A brief moment passed, before Zach softly called, "you can come in.'' Claire pushed the door open. Zach sat on the unmade bed, folding clothes, while Gray knelt on the floor with an open suitcase, reverently placing objects inside.

"Hey.'' That was what Claire tried to say, but really her lips just moved. No sound came out.

"What's up?'' Gray asked, his voice slightly plaintive.

Claire pulled a wan smile. She stepped over the boys' suitcase and sat on the edge of the bed. Zach scoot over to allow her more room. They all sat in silence for a few minutes. Zach and Gray finished packing. Gray zipped up their suitcase. Claire decided she couldn't leave it up to her nephews to speak first, so she took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"I just, um,'' Claire searched for the right words. Zach and Gray watched her intently. "I want you to know,'' she continued more purposefully, "that if you ever need anything, I'm always going to be here. Owen and my house is always open to you both.'' She paused again, unsure of whether or not to say the next thing that came to mind. Zach's and Gray's expressions remained unchanged. _Might as well._ "If you don't want to go back, you don't have to.

Zach and Gray exchanged a fleeting glance.

"Could we?'' Gray almost whispered.

Zach averted his eyes, letting them sweep the floor of the room. He seemed to be considering the possibility. Claire was not as anxious about their decision as she thought she would be.

"I just want you to be happy,'' said she.

Looking up, Zach nodded. "We know.''

"We can't stay, can we?'' Gray's tone was both disappointed and understanding.

Zach shook his head. "No. We have to go home.''

"Is it still home though?'' said Gray. There was no venom in his tone. It was a genuine question. "Sure, Mom is there. But what about all the 'home is where the heart is' bullshit you hear about? I'm not sure if that place does it anymore, with Mom there or not.''

"I'm planning to move out of Mom's house later this year, remember? You're coming with me. Do you want to stay here?''

Claire was watching her nephews. This discussion, this decision, was between them. She was just an onlooker. Zach had asked the last question in an inquisitive, but in no way challenging, tone.

Gray considered this. "No,'' he said finally. "I don't really want to stay. But I don't really want to go back home either.''

"We'll come visit,'' Zach promised, "often.''

Claire's chest tightened. "Of course. You're always welcome.'' Everyone was quiet. "I need to go start lunch,'' Claire finally said. Before she could start to cry, she turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She wiped away the couple tears that forced their way out. It was going to be a hard afternoon.

JWJWJWJWJWJW

Karen arrived promptly half an hour late. Claire hadn't expected any better from her sister. Karen had hugged Claire tightly, thanking her profusely. "I hope they weren't too much trouble?" She asked with fake earnestness. Claire knew she didn't care one way or another. Still, she reassured her sister that the boys were no trouble at all.

Zach and Gray had just finished packing when Karen arrived. They awkwardly shuffled out of the guest room, towing their suitcase behind them. Karen threw her arms around them, gushing tearfully how she had missed them. The boys were less enthusiastic, but hugged her back anyway. The whole thing made Claire rather sick. She suggested they have for lunch.

"Are you limping, baby?'' Karen asked Zach as they sat down at the table.

"I fell last week,'' he lied smoothly. "I'm fine.'' Claire suspected the lie was rehearsed.

"Where are Owen and Maisie?''

"Owen's working. He should be home soon.'' In truth, Owen should have been home an hour ago. "Maisie's out back or in her room.'' Claire was not going to drag her daughter out to talk to her sister. Maisie and Owen were probably both avoiding saying goodbye to the Mitchell boys. Claire could honestly not blame them.

Karen launched into a very detailed recount of everything that she and her boyfriend had done in Europe over the summer. Claire occasionally would nod or make some noise of acknowledgment, but she was mostly zoned out. Zach and Gray ate in silence, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

The back door creaked open. Maisie stood in the doorway. She was wearing her usual t-shirt, jeans, and boots combo. She was peering oddly at Karen, her expression impossible to read.

"Hello Maisie,'' said Karen, with exaggerated warmth.

Maisie blinked back at her.

"Maisie, say hello to your aunt,'' said Claire.

"Hi.''

"Come sit down,'' Claire beckoned. Maisie did so with caution. "Where have you been?''

"Out back. With Dad.''

"He's home?" Claire was not surprised.

Maisie nodded and started filling up her plate.

Claire pushed her chair back, grateful for an excuse to leave the table. "I'm going to go see if he wants to join us.''

JWJWJWJWJWJW

Owen did not want to join them. Upon arriving home (late) and seeing Karen's sky-blue minivan parked in the middle of the driveway, Owen had swung his truck around to the back of the cabin. He then drug out one of the four-wheelers out from the garage and began buffing away the chipped paint. Both four-wheelers were streaked with deep scratches from the escapade in forest the previous week. Owen had already power-washed them to get off the mud, and now he had moved on to repairing the scratches and restoring the paint. He didn't have to do it right that moment; he was in no sort of time crunch. But Owen did not want to go inside.

He was not fond of his sister-in-law. And he did not want to think about the boys leaving. He didn't trust Karen with her sons any more than Claire did. When the latter had introduced the idea of going into an almost-certain-to-lose custody battle over the Mitchells, Owen had been fleetingly tempted to do it. Then he snapped back to reality: they could never do that to the boys. Zach was nineteen and would be moving out of Karen's house as soon as he possibly could. He was planning to take Gray with him. Hadn't he told them that was his plan at the beginning of the summer? A custody battle would have just torn up the boys even more. Owen thought of how damaged they were — especially Zach. He knew Claire and his intentions were whatever was best for Zach and Gray. Neither of them ever wanted to cause the boys any more pain than they were already in. Owen had convinced Claire to drop the prospect.

So Owen avoided greeting his sister-in-law and he avoided bidding his nephews farewell. He knew he would have to both within the next couple hours. Owen was really not looking forward to doing the whole emotional goodbye thing again. He'd already done it with Blue.

A familiar creaking brought the back door's opening to Owen's attention. Light footsteps approached him. He turned, already knowing who it was.

"Hey babe,'' he said, kissing his wife as she met him.

"Hey you.'' Claire was looking intentionally at him, her voice laced with meaning.

_Uh oh._ Owen knew he was in trouble. "What's up?''

"Were you ever planning to face my sister?''

"'Face her'?'' Owen said sarcastically. "Shit, I didn't know there was anything to _face.''_

Claire held his gaze. "Owen.''

Owen kicked the ground like a pissed toddler.

"You're going to have to say goodbye.''

"I know.''

They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, washed over by the late afternoon sun.

"I don't want them to go either,'' Claire finally spoke up.

"I know,'' said Owen again, with a sigh.

They were quiet again.

"Jesus.'' Owen laughed. He ran a hand over his hair. "The hell is this so hard?''

"I have no idea.'' Claire laughed too, but tears were in her eyes. She wrapped an arm around Owen's waist. "Come on. Let's go back in.''

The Mitchell boys were detained as long as Owen and Claire could come up with things to talk about. Alas, eventually all topics ran dry, the sun set, and Karen announced it was time to go at last. Owen helped drag the boy's suitcase to the minivan, loading it securely in the tailgate.

Then it was time to say goodbye.

Karen hugged Claire, thanking her again. She patted Owen's shoulder and gave Maisie a simpering smile. Owen muttered, "G'bye,'' and Maisie shot her mother a long-suffering look.

"I'll give you two a few moments to say goodbye,'' Karen told her sons, and climbed into the driver's seat of the minivan.

The Gradys and Mitchells stood in silence.

"So, uh,'' Zach eventually said, "thanks for letting us stay with you.''

"Of course,'' whispered Claire. She hugged her nephew tightly. Then she hugged Gray. When she finally let them go, tears were streaming down her face. She didn't bother trying to hide them.

"Always nice seeing ya, kid.'' Owen shook Zach's hand, then pulled him into a hug.

Gray approached Maisie, who had been mostly silent. Gray jammed his hands in his pockets. "Bye, Mais.''

Maisie flicked her ponytail. "Not sure why everyone's acting like we'll never see you again. You might live a couple hours away, but why should that stop us from seeing each other over the holidays or something? Just because we've never done it before doesn't mean it's not possible. And anyway, I'm starting school in a few weeks so you're going to have to give me a call. I need to know what's cool and what's not cool to talk about.''

A slow smiled spread across Gray's face. "Okay. See you later.''

Maisie punched his shoulder. "See you later.''

He gazed at Maisie for a long moment, and, for the briefest fraction of a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. But Gray just shrugged his shoulders and moved to say goodbye to Owen. Maisie was surprised to find herself disappointed. She pushed the sentiment away. _Maybe someday._

While Owen thumped Gray on the back and advised him to steer clear of the ladies until he was actually ready to commit to one, Maisie hugged Zach tightly. "I'm actually going to miss you a lot,'' she said, finding herself dangerously close to tears.

"Hey,'' said Zach, "didn't I just hear you telling Gray we'd meet up over the holidays?''

"Yeah,'' Maisie smiled. "And you better have a girlfriend by then.''

Zach laughed. "Note taken.''

Then Gray climbed into the minivan and Zach climbed into the Malibu they had taken there, and drove away.

Owen, Claire, and Maisie watched until the taillights had completely disappeared into the dusky night sky.

Maisie turned and walked back into the cabin, head high. Claire lay her head on Owen's shoulder. "Helluva summer, eh?''

Owen put an arm around her. "It's a helluva life.''

They watched the stars rise above the horizon and fill the sky. It really _was_ a helluva life for the Gradys. But, Owen thought, it was still a pretty damn good one.

JWJWJWJWJWJW

It was summer.

The hot California sun beat down, obscured into designs of transparent essence cast upon the forest floor. The designs ran like briar around the clearing's perimeter. Claire, unaware of the beautiful light obstructions engulfing her, had said something, but Owen hadn't been paying attention. The dazzling light had caught Claire's grown-out hair in a way that resembled a waterfall of fire, rippling down her back. Owen thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"I would assume so,'' said Zia, is response to whatever it was Claire said. The paleoveternatrian was crouched down, examining the remnants of the old nest.

"If there was any sort of risk at stake, we wouldn't have brought them back,'' Franklin reassured them both from his perch on a four-wheeler.

_Oh okay._ Owen thought he knew what Claire had been talking about now. He stumbled forward slightly as something bumped into his shoulder. "Hey, Girl,'' he said, knowing what it was even before he turned to see Blue blinking expectantly at him. Owen stroked her neck.

After nearly a year, the raptors were finally back. The previous week, the government had finally lost interest in the creatures, and lifted Blue's sentence. Franklin and Zia had immediately loaded the raptor family into their trailer and driven them back to the Gradys' cabin. Franklin and Zia had been invited to stay the rest of the week as honored guests to study and observe the velociraptors in their new habitat. Blue had immediately lead her children back to the clearing they had been born into. They had made it their permanent home. Owen and Franklin had worked on clearing trails for the four-wheelers so they could access it more easily.

Owen's attention was drawn to Maisie, who was laughing with the delight of a young child. She had been chasing Max, Scarlett, and Winky with Adaela almost all day long. It was a strange game, thought Owen non-judgmentally, for a teenage human girl to be playing with dinosaurs, but he didn't think he'd ever seen Maisie so happy. Her face was smudged with sweat and dirt, and her bobbed hair was sticking up in every direction; the results of playing Tag with four intelligent, speedy reptiles. Maisie caught Owen's eye and her smile deepened. "Come on, Dad!'' she called.

Owen looked at Blue. "Should we?''

Blue trilled indignantly which Owen suspected was the velociraptor-equivalent of rolling your eyes.

"Please? Come on, our kids are playing together! How awesome is that?''

Blue gazed at him for a moment, then began trotting towards her raptor children and Owen's human one.

"That's a good girl, Blue,'' said Owen with a smile and a tightness in his chest he knew could only be pure, unadulterated happiness. "Good girl.''

 


End file.
